Can a historian conduct a research doubting the Holocaust? (general, facts, state)
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If he were in a university in Germany or Austria NOW? Could he do? And what would the responses be to that? Just curious.
One is allowed to conduct Holocaust research in those nations, but any conclusions obviously require extensive academic proof. Setting out to disprove a widely known and verifiable fact would require such overwhelming evidence as to be nearly impossible to do. If one was to doggedly pursue the topic of denial and publish papers denying that it happened without said proof, then they would be risking prosecution, as a few individuals have. There are several researchers who have sought to examine the true scope of the Holocaust in terms of numbers and methods. While their work has been contrary to the general understanding, it was considered academically acceptable, even if it was strongly countered by other academics.
Such research will always be accompanied by deep suspicions about the motives involved.
In the same manner that religious interests only seem to have a problem with those scientific doctrines which debunk long held religious assertions, histological massacre deniers only seem to have a problem with the Holocaust.
The fundamentalists never attack the theory of black holes or the accuracy of the estimates of distance to stars or the Doppler Affect, only evolution. And the genocide deniers never show any interest in proving that the Armenian massacre or the American Indian extermination never happened, only the Holocaust.
Because of this, as noted, it is extremely difficult to grant credibility to those who claim that their only interest in researching the Holocaust is historical truth. Because there are so many obviously agenda driven Holocaust "researchers", anyone making that claim is going to have to be held to extremely high standards of academic fairness, and if that person should happen to be a member of some ethnic group, nationality or political organization which has been traditionally hostile toward Jews, it will be impossible to conclude that this is nothing more than a love of academic integrity and historical truth at work.
One is allowed to conduct Holocaust research in those nations
Sound great.
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If one was to doggedly pursue the topic of denial and publish papers denying that it happened without said proof, then they would be risking prosecution, as a few individuals have.
Why it's not the same case if he denied any other historical facts?
Such research will always be accompanied by deep suspicions about the motives involved.
In the same manner that religious interests only seem to have a problem with those scientific doctrines which debunk long held religious assertions, histological massacre deniers only seem to have a problem with the Holocaust.
I can't agree more.
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The fundamentalists never attack the theory of black holes or the accuracy of the estimates of distance to stars or the Doppler Affect, only evolution
But we've never heard of anyone who's being jailed because of his denial of evolution.
Salient to the specific question, it is my understanding that in Germany, it is illegal to even publicly state the opinion that further research could shed some doubt on the legitimacy or authenticity of the data that is currently held to be absolute.
That the earth was the center of the universe was once a "widely known and verifiable fact", and deniers were put to death, without even being given the benefit of the doubt by merely being called lunatics. Not to mention the "widely known and verifiable fact" that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. That there is no God but Allah and Muhammed is his prophet is a widely known and verifiable fact.
Criminalizing doubt is hardly an avenue to enlightenment.
But we've never heard of anyone who's being jailed because of his denial of evolution.
Is that your only concern here? Academic freedom?
You have no sort of grudge of any kind against Jews? Are you a supporter of Israel or an enemy of Israel?
Establish first that you are neutral and interested only in an academic approach, and perhaps you might command some credibility.
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