Resistance

GERMAR RUDOLF, RESISTANCE IS OBLIGATORYdissertation research on the chemistry of higher silicon-hydrogen compounds,he contradicted what had been more speculated than “known”in scientific literature on the subject. Because of the assumption thatwhatever has been written in scientific literature must be true – the erroneousassumption of many scientists – Dr. Plichta found himself opposedby overwhelming dogmatic belief. He thus stated pointedly: 75“The foundation of every creative process is thinking your ownthoughts and doubting whatever exists.”As the counterpoint to this allow me to quote the “créme de lacréme” of French Holocaust historians in their reaction to revisionisttheses concerning the technical feasibility of the alleged mass murders:76 “It is forbidden to ask how such mass murder was possible. Itwas technically possible because it happened. This is the obligatorypoint of departure for every historical investigation of this subject.We must simply keep this truth in mind: There is no debate concerningthe existence of gas chambers and no such debate may be permitted.”Here we have dogmatism and hostility to science par excellence!The first sentence prohibits questioning; the second sentence is an impermissiblecircular reasoning; the third sentence announces dogma;and the fourth combines them all and announces the prohibition againstquestioning as an axiomatic truth.The term “truth” itself is somewhat problematic, although I haveused it as well. This is because of the age-old philosophical wisdomconcerning the impossibility of being certain that one has found thetruth. The reasons for this impossibility are twofold. On one hand thereis the inadequacy of our senses and understanding, because of reasonsthat are primarily but not exclusively psychological. The other reason isthat there is no such thing as valid “a priori” knowledge.Karl Popper makes this point very aptly: 77“First, although in science we do our best to find the truth, weare conscious of the fact that we can never be sure whether we havegot it. We have learned in the past, through many disappointments,that we must not expect finality. And we have learned not to be dis-75767764Peter Plichta, Benzin aus Sand. Die Silan-Revolution, 2nd ed., Herbig, Munich 2006, p. 248.34 leading French researchers, Le Monde, 21 Feb. 1979.Karl Popper, The Open…, op. cit. (note 70), vol. 2, p. 12.