This will probably piss off almost everyone reading this, but...

[marnen]

While reading some critical evaluations of whether the Third Wave experiment happened as described, I happened on a page arguing that there were no gas chambers in Nazi death camps. This is not a piece of Holocaust denial -- the writer of the article seems to think that most of the other details of the Holocaust are too well documented to be in any question -- but it does appear to be a well-reasoned, thoughtful job. If anyone can find holes in his arguments, I'd be interested to know what they are.

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Update, about 13 hours later: While I'm not withdrawing my post, I'm beginning to think I may have posted too soon. The article appears to have been less well thought out than I originally thought. That's what comes from posting on impulse in the wee hours of the morning...

Comments

[11th-letter.livejournal.com]

Honestly? I can find a good many holes in his arguments.
But my main objection is...why is he arguing it at all? The pursuit of knowledge and all that. But my observation is people who mount these arguments are intending to show that the Holocaust was not so very holocaustal as folks think, and I do not think that is worthy of any scholar.

[marnen.livejournal.com]

Yes, the pursuit of knowledge. Or at least that's why I'm interested in it. It seems that the nature of the Holocaust has become an article of faith, and something of a shibboleth. Either you believe it wholesale or you disbelieve it wholesale, it seems. And that's just plain sloppy scholarship.

As a human being, and as a Jew, I have no desire to belittle the impact of the Holocaust. But as a responsible thinking person, I am bound to consider evidence that comes my way with an open mind. I don't think any purpose is served by constructing sacred cows.

[curlyeric.livejournal.com]

No article of history or science should be taken on "Faith", but this is a well researched topic that has been tread upon again and again over the past 60 years by historians and scientists. The idea that there was no gassing at the big 3 death camps is an extraordinary claim; and as we know from philosophy extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence and this piece provides no extraordinary evidence.

[marnen.livejournal.com]

The existence of the gas chambers is, on the face of it, also an extraordinary claim, which is why I feel that a careful evaluation of the evidence is necessary -- and as you and others pointed out, this is exactly what Lyle didn't do.