Hitler and abductive logic : the strategy of a tyrant

257 Pages·2014·1.18 MB·English

by  Hitler

Hitler and Abductive Logic

Hitler and Abductive Logic
The Strategy of a Tyrant
Ben Novak
LEXINGTONBOOKS
Lanham•Boulder•NewYork•Toronto•Plymouth,UK
PublishedbyLexingtonBooks
AwhollyownedsubsidiaryofRowman&Littlefield
4501ForbesBoulevard,Suite200,Lanham,Maryland20706
www.rowman.com
10ThornburyRoad,PlymouthPL67PP,UnitedKingdom
Copyright©2014byLexingtonBooks
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyany
electronicormechanicalmeans,includinginformationstorageandretrievalsystems,
withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquote
passagesinareview.
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationInformationAvailable
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Novak,Ben,1943-
Hitlerandabductivelogic:thestrategyofatyrant/BenNovak.
pagescm
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-7391-9224-5(cloth:alkalinepaper)--ISBN978-0-7391-9225-2(electronic)
Hitler,Adolf,1889-1945--Psychology.2.Headsofstate--Germany--Psychology.3.Headsofstate--
Germany--Biography.4.Nationalsocialism--Psychologicalaspects.5.Germany--Politicsand
government--1933-1945.6.Ideology--Germany--History--20thcentury.7.Abduction(Logic)8.
Reasoning.I.Title.
DD247.H5N6582014
943.086092--dc23
2014004471
TMThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstheminimumrequirementsofAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciencesPermanenceofPaperforPrintedLibrary
Materials,ANSI/NISOZ39.48-1992.
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Contents
1 TheHistoricalProblemofHitler 1
EXAMININGTHEQUESTION 4
InsufficientFacts 4
TheQuestionsAskedoftheFacts 5
Opportunist 6
Demagogue 7
Pawn 9
IntellectualCurrents 10
Economic,Political,andSocialConditions 10
MediumisticPowers 11
PsychologicalInterpretations 12
OtherInterpretations 14
TheHistoricalProblem 15
ConclusionsDrawnfromReviewoftheLiterature 17
TheQuestionSoFarNotInvestigated 18
METHOD 18
Notes 21
2 TheThirdLogic:TheBackgroundandFormalStructureof
Abduction 25
THEWORMINTHEAPPLEOFSCIENCE 26
THEDISCOVERYOFATHIRDFORMOFLOGIC 28
THENATUREOFABDUCTION 29
THEFORMALSTRUCTUREOFABDUCTION 30
THESIGNIFICANCEOFTHEFORMALSTRUCTUREOF
ABDUCTIONTOTHERISEOFADOLFHITLER:HOW
HEEMPLOYEDABDUCTIVELOGIC 35
Notes 39
3 CharacteristicsofAbduction 41
COMPARABLECHARACTERISTICS 43
CertaintyandUncertainty 43
TheInitialImmunityofAbductiontoRefutation 44
Mendaciousness 46
Ampliativity 52
UNIQUECHARACTERISTICSOFABDUCTION 55
Instinct 55
TheDivinatoryPowerofAbduction 57
v
vi Contents
ThePowerofAbductiveLogicovertheMind 60
CONCLUSION 63
Notes 65
4 AbductiveLogicinLiterature 69
THEDISCOVERYOFABDUCTIONINLITERATURE 71
PARTI:THEPRIVATEDETECTIVESTREAM 74
TheUniquenessoftheDetectiveStory 74
RatiocinativeMan 76
TheCharacteroftheFirstDetectiveHero:C.AugusteDupin 76
TheCharacteroftheMostPopularHero:SherlockHolmes 81
THEPOWEROFABDUCTIVELOGICINDETECTIVE
STORIES 85
THEBACKWARDFORMOFTHESTORY 92
Summary 96
PARTII:THETRACKERSTREAM:FROMVOLTAIRETO
KARLMAY 96
Voltaire’s“TheTaleofZadig” 97
ThomasHenryHuxleyon“TheMethodofZadig” 99
KarlMay 104
Winnetou:ATextbookonAbductiveLogic 105
ThePlotofWinnetou 105
TheLogicoftheNovel 106
SUMMARY 118
Notes 122
5 TheApplicationofPeirce’sAbductiveTheoryto
UnravelingtheMysteryofHitler’sYouth 129
THEUNDISPUTEDFACTSOFHITLER’S
TRANSFORMATIONIN1900,ATAGEELEVEN 130
THEBAFFLEMENTOFSCHOLARSATTHETWO
MYSTERIESARISINGFROMHITLER’S
TRANSFORMATION 131
THENEEDFORANEWAPPROACHANDANEW
LOGICTOUNRAVELTHEMYSTERYOFHITLER’SYOUTH 132
CRITIQUEOFTHEESTABLISHEDMETHODOF
HISTORICALINVESTIGATION 133
PARTI:PEIRCE’SNEWMETHOD 137
Peirce’sConditionsForTheApplicationOfTheNewLogical
Method 137
PresentationOfPeirce’sLogic 138
Peirce’sRulesForTheLogicalAnalysisOfHistoricalTestimony 140
FirstRule:ExplainAlltheFacts 141
SecondRule:AssumethePrincipalTestimoniesAreTrue 141
ThirdRule:BeCarefulofProbabilities 142
Contents vii
FourthRule:TraceOuttheLogicalConsequencesofthe
Hypothesis 142
FifthRule:EnlargingtheField 143
SixthRule:Economy 144
TestingtheHypothesisSelected 144
PartII:GENERATINGAHYPOTHESIS 146
ExaminingtheFirstPrincipalTestimony:AdolfHitler’sAccount
in“MeinKampf” 147
FirstClue:TheUnusualNatureofHitler’sDisputewithHis
FatheratThatAge 148
SecondClue:AnAlreadyFormedAttitudetowardWork 149
ThirdClue:TheExistenceofanAntecedentIdea 150
FourthClue:TheDecisionaboutWhichSchooltoAttend 151
AFirstHypothesis 151
SecondHypothesis:TheSourceoftheYoungHitler’s
IdentificationofHisOwnFatewiththeGermanPeople 153
ExaminingtheSecondPrincipalTestimony:Hitler’s
Headmaster,Dr.EduardHuemer 153
SummaryofHypotheses 155
Notes 155
6 TheGenesisOfTheFuehrer:TheBirthOfHitler’sCharacter 159
HITLERWASABORNGENIUS 159
HITLER’SANECDOTE 160
HITLERBEGINSTHINKINGABOUTAFUTURECAREER
(1897) 162
HITLERDISCOVERSABOOKONWAR(1898) 163
GREATNESSREPRIEVED:THEBOERWARBREAKS
OUT(1899) 163
THEGREATNESSOFWARREFLECTSONHITLER’S
FATHER 165
SCHOOLASREINFORCEMENT(1897–1900) 166
DISTINGUISHINGTHENATUREANDLOGICOF
HITLER’SEARLYGENIUS 167
HITLER’SFIRSTIDEALS 169
THEGREATMANDOESNOTWORK 170
HITLER’SCONFLICTWITHHISFATHER(SPRING1900) 173
HITLER’SFATHERMISJUDGESHIM 174
HITLER’SFATHERWANTSHISSONTOBEACIVIL
SERVANT 175
FURIOUSARGUMENTS 176
ADOLFENTERSREALSCHULE(SEPTEMBER1900) 177
HITLER’SFOURDILEMMAS 178
HowHitlerResolvestheFirstDilemma:Whattodoabouthis
Classmates? 179
viii Contents
HitlerResolvestheSecondDilemma:WhattoDoaboutthe
ArgumentwithHisFather 180
HitlerResolvestheThirdDilemma:WhattoDoaboutSchool? 180
ANewFactorEntersthePicture:HitlerDiscoversKarlMay 181
KarlMay’sLifelongInfluenceonHitler 184
KarlMay’sInfluenceonWhattoDoaboutSchool 185
HitlerResolvestheFourthDilemma:WhattoDoaboutaCareer 187
KarlMayComestoLinz 188
HowHitler’sDecisiontoBecomeanArtistFitsinwithHis
PreviousIdeas 190
THESON’SREBELLION 192
Notes 193
7 InThatHouritBegan 199
ADOLF’SIDEAOFGREATNESS 201
THELOGICOFGREATNESS 202
THEMEANINGOFHISTORY 204
THEBACKWARDNATUREOFHITLER’STHOUGHT 206
THEINFLUENCEOFKARLMAY 208
INTHATHOURITBEGAN 209
NOTEONTHECREDIBILITYOFKUBIZEK’SMEMOIRS 212
Notes 212
8 ClosingArgument:HowDidHeDoIt? 215
FIRSTEXAMPLE:CHARGINGATTENDANCEFEESAT
PUBLICRALLIES 217
BackgroundofHitler’sDecisiontoChargeAdmission 218
ConsequencesofChargingAdmissiontoMeetings 220
SECONDEXAMPLE:HITLER’SIDEAOFTHE
FUNCTIONOFAPARTYPROGRAM 223
THIRDEXAMPLE:HITLERBUILDSAPARTYMACHINE 226
Background 227
HitlerOrganizestheMembership 228
FOURTHEXAMPLE:HITLERFORBIDSANY
PHOTOGRAPHSOFHIMSELF 229
CONCLUSION 231
Notes 232
BIBLIOGRAPHYOFREFERENCESCITED 235
Index 243
AbouttheAuthor 247