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From: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy,net.religion,net.sci
Subject: Re: Hitler: Why we need a Science of Morality
Message-ID: <1185@psivax.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-May-86 19:03:40 EDT
Article-I.D.: psivax.1185
Posted: Thu May 15 19:03:40 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 19-May-86 04:18:43 EDT
References: <534@bu-cs.UUCP>
Reply-To: friesen@psivax.UUCP (Stanley Friesen)
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Xref: watmath net.philosophy:5362 net.religion:10186 net.sci:878

In article <534@bu-cs.UUCP> bzs@bu-cs.UUCP (Barry Shein) writes:
>
>I thought a common thesis was that Hitler utilized modern science (or
>an appearance of the same) to a technologically entranced German
>people to justify his social engineering.

        I would say that he used the *appearance* only, Hitler had no
conception of the reality of science any more than he was a good art
critic!
>
>For example, his racism was based largely on an extrapolation of
>current eugenic theories. He referred to mongrel races and a need
>to genetically purify an Aryan race.

        Rather it was *justified*(not based) on appeals to *popular*
(mis)conceptions of the current eugenics theories.

>(not unlike racists in this country trying to show that the
>flat nose bridges of blacks shows they are closer to monkeys and
>other such drivel.)
     
        Very like, and his drivel was no more scientific than that of
US racists! Just becaues some idea is justified by an appeal to
science does *not* make it science.
>
>Consider all those experiments under the guise of science in the
>concentration camps (like tying together the legs of a woman in
>labor just to see what happened.)

        This is hardly science. Doing something "just to see what
happens" is *not* the scientific method. These people were using
science as an excuse to play, with human beings as toys.
>
>I THOUGHT THE POINT WAS HITLER'S NAZI GERMANY WAS PRECISELY SCIENCE
>                             GONE MAD.

        NO, it was society gone mad, with science being used as an
excuse and a justification. Very little true science was done under
Hitler, that is probably why we developed the A-bomb instead of them.
>
>You know, those cold, logical germans, killing off the impure blood,
>doing their secret weapons and other war research etc.

        Hitler hardly appealed to cold logic, his was a *very*
emotional approach. When giving speaches he practically frothed at the
mouth. He gained support by calling on powerful emotions not logic.

--

                                Sarima (Stanley Friesen)

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