Arthur Butz
Arthur Butz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1933 |
| Nationality | USA |
| Alma mater | MIT |
| Known for | Holocaust denial, Butz Algorithm |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrical Engineering |
| Institutions | Northwestern University |
Arthur R. Butz is a Holocaust denier and associate professor of electrical engineering at Northwestern University. He achieved tenure in 1974 and currently teaches classes in control system theory and Digital Signal Processing. Butz attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from which he received both his Bachelor of Science and, in 1956, his Master of Science degrees. In 1965 he received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. His doctoral dissertation considered a problem in control engineering.
Publications
 | This article contains weasel words: vague phrasing that often accompanies biased or unverifiable information. |
Butz invented the algorithm which bears his name and was published in 1969.[1] It provided a means for computing Hilbert's space-filling curve. This algorithm greatly advanced certain computer search techniques and has numerous other applications. It is used to this day. Professor Butz is the author of numerous other technical papers.
Book controversy
In 1976, Butz published The Hoax of the Twentieth Century: The Case Against the Presumed Extermination of European Jewry.[2] This book asserted that the Holocaust did not occur and has been deliberately contrived to justify the creation of the state of Israel.
Ahmadinejad statement
Most recently, Butz attracted attention when he issued a statement in which he agreed with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's statement that the Holocaust is a "myth." In a press release dated December 18, 2005, Butz wrote
I congratulate him [Ahmadinejad] on becoming the first head of state to speak out clearly on these issues [the alleged fabrication of the Holocaust], and regret only that it was not a Western head of state. His political remarks receive no comment on my side. By 'political remarks' I mean those that deal with questions of what ought to happen now.[3]
The press release was in response to Ahmadinejad's call for "the regime in Jerusalem" to be "wiped from the page of history".
Butz's remarks have evoked the ire of a considerable majority of Northwestern affiliates, and the university's last president, Henry Bienen, issued a statement condemning Butz's viewpoints, saying they are an "embarrassment to Northwestern."[4] In that statement, Bienen lamented that he could not fire Butz: "Butz is a tenured associate professor in electrical engineering. Like all faculty members, he is entitled to express his personal views, including on his personal web pages, as long as he does not represent such opinions as the views of the University. Butz has made clear that his opinions are his own and at no time has he discussed those views in class or made them part of his class curriculum. Therefore, we cannot take action based on the content of what Butz says regarding the Holocaust - however odious it may be - without undermining the vital principle of intellectual freedom that all academic institutions serve to protect.."
Sixty of Butz's colleagues from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science faculty signed a censure describing Butz's Holocaust denial as "an affront to our humanity and our standards as scholars".[5] The letter also called for Butz to "leave our Department and our University and stop trading on our reputation for academic excellence."[5]
University President Henry S. Bienen issued a statement strongly rejecting Butz's positions and distancing the university from them:
Northwestern University Associate Professor Arthur Butz recently issued a statement commending Iranian President Ahmadinejad's assertion that the Holocaust never happened. Butz is a Holocaust denier who has made similar assertions previously. His latest statement, like his earlier writings and pronouncements, is a contemptible insult to all decent and feeling people. While I hope everyone understands that Butz's opinions are his own and in no way represent the views of the University or me personally, his reprehensible opinions on this issue are an embarrassment to Northwestern.
There is no question that the Holocaust is a well-documented historical fact. The University has a professorship in Holocaust Studies endowed by the Holocaust Educational Foundation. Northwestern offers courses in Holocaust Studies and organizes conferences of academic scholars who teach in areas relating to the Holocaust. In addition, Northwestern hosts a summer Institute for Holocaust and Jewish Civilization. And most recently, a fellowship in the political science department has been established in my name by the Holocaust Educational Foundation. In short, Northwestern University has contributed significantly to the scholarly research of the Holocaust and remains committed to doing so.
Butz is a tenured associate professor in electrical engineering. Like all faculty members, he is entitled to express his personal views, including on his personal web pages, as long as he does not represent such opinions as the views of the University. Butz has made clear that his opinions are his own and at no time has he discussed those views in class or made them part of his class curriculum. Therefore, we cannot take action based on the content of what Butz says regarding the Holocaust - however odious it may be - without undermining the vital principle of intellectual freedom that all academic institutions serve to protect.
Henry S. Bienen
President[6]
See also
- Holocaust denial
- Criticism of Holocaust denial
- Historical revisionism
- Historical revisionism (negationism)
References
- ^ [Butz 1969] A. R. Butz, Convergence with Hilbert's space filling curve, J. Comput. Sys. Sci., vol. 3, May 1969, pp 128-146.
- ^ The Hoax of the Twentieth Century
- ^ Arthur, Butz. "Revisionists only deny one aspect of Holocaust story: Butz". Mehr News Agency. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ Bienen, Henry S. (February 6, 2006). "Message from President Bienen, Northwestern University". Northwestern University. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ a b Elizabeth, Campbell (February 17, 2006). "Students, faculty oppose Butz with petitions". The Daily Northwestern. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- ^ http://www.northwestern.edu/president/arthurbutz.html