Resistance

GERMAR RUDOLF, RESISTANCE IS OBLIGATORYstrates one of the principal defining characteristics of science, namelythat there are no permanent truths. In fact, that is the title of a chapter ofmy book. 79On this subject, the crème de la crème of European and international“Holocaust” scholars claim in the book NS-Massentötungen durch Giftgas,which is still used as standard reference refuting revisionist theories:80 “In order to be able to effectively combat and stem such tendencies[the denial of mass murder, GR], the entire historical truth mustbe irrefutably securely written for all time.”This is once more dogmatism and hostility to science par excellence.Needless to say that the question arises now: In view of the fact thatthe degree of truthfulness of scientific theories cannot be establishedwith certainty, how can we make sure that we make progress anyway?In this regard there are two principles at work:The first is testabilityA thesis must be testable; that is, one must be able to subject it totests by means of which it is either proven to be false or else reliable forthe present test case. (I deliberately avoid the term “true,” since failurein other tests might still be possible.) falsifiability = empirical testabilityThe other is the degree of reliabilityA scientific thesis must be tested; the more tests – attempts at refutation– it withstands, the more reliable it will be. The more rigorous thetesting, that is, the more vigorously one attempts to refute the thesis, thehigher its reliability, if the attempts at refutation are unsuccessful. Attempts at falsification = rigorous attempts at refutationThus at heart, science is the systematic testing and verification oftheories. 81Further on Popper explains: 827980818266Germar Rudolf, Lectures, op. cit. (note 55), ch. 1.8., pp. 45-54.Eugen Kogon, Hermann Langbein, Adalbert Rückerl et al. (eds.), ibid., S. Fischer, Frankfurt onMain 1983, p. 2; the later English edition of this book, Nazi Mass Murder, Yale, New Haven1993, does not contain that revealing sentence.Karl Popper, Logic, op. cit. (note 78) p. 106.Ibid., p. 54, similar p. 48.