Hans-Joachim Zillmer
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Hans-Joachim Zillmer (born September 20, 1950 at Mölln, Germany) is a German entrepreneur and author of controversial nonfiction since 1998. In his bestsellers translated into altogether eleven languages he looks at current theories especially in the domains of geology, geophysics, evolution and palaeontology, questions them or rather their underlying theories (principle of uniformitarianism, geological time scale) and formulates his own hypotheses in the sense of catastrophism contradicting the scientific doctrine. The theory of evolution as macro evolution in particular and the current methods of age-determination are declined by him.
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[edit] Life
Hans-Joachim Zillmer studied civil engineering at Bergische Universität Wuppertal and the Technische Universität Berlin and completed both courses of studies as graduate engineer, proceeded to obtain his doctorate in political science, founded and managed a structural engineering company after university, an engineering office, and a construction company in Solingen and later one in Berlin (Germany) as well. Zillmer is an engineering consultant with the Chamber Of Construction Engineers NRW (North Rhine Westphalia), was a member of the board of directors of the Constructor’s Guild of Solingen and from 1991-1999 chairman of the Great Sports Club TSG Solingen (2300 members). As nonfiction author he was interview partner in many German radio- and television programs, among others in the program “World Of Wonders” at PRO7 with his controversial topics from his “Dinosaurs’ Guide”.
[edit] Theories
Zillmer like Immanuel Velikovsky is an advocate of catastrophism, however, in connection with a special Young-Earth-Theory, the Young-Earth-Catastrophe-Theory suggesting that the Earth as a planet is old indeed, but was struck by a global catastrophe (deluge) about 5000 to 6000 years ago, causing our earth's crust to be remodelled and rebuilt significantly. The geologic core thesis of it is, that there have been several super floods pouring out on the continents: the North America’s South-, and Northwest, across Australia, or from the Altai mountains across Siberia all the way into the Caspian Sea, the Baltic Sea and into the Arctic Sea. With that, a shifting of the axis of the earth occurred, and only at this point in time, the by him so-called Snow Time, the icing of Arctic and Antarctic areas as a fast motion like, shortened Great Ice Age (Pleistocene) took place. During this time, in his opinion, the earth’s gravity increased, and animals existing in a "mega format" so far, like the elephant size giant sloth in America or the mammoth in Eurasia, died out. Thus, a new world with smaller animals emerged, with different atmospheric conditions e.g. a decrease of the air pressure and an elevated gravitation.
Due to these global natural disasters according to Zillmer in contrast with micro evolution no macro evolution, no transition of one animal species to another, took place. This way, no human could have originated from an ape-like creature. Moreover, in this time horizon 80 percent of the animal species were eradicated. A scenario attributed to the end of the ice age (= advent of the snow time according to Zillmer). Consequently, according to Zillmer no verifiable history of mankind exists, as he exposes in his book The Evolution Lie. Zillmer’s claim posed in Darwin’s Mistake, that palaeolithic skulls or rather skeletons are no more than a few thousand years old, was purportedly confirmed for Zillmer by new examinations of the Neanderthal-, and Cro-Magnon skulls from Germany in 2004, by a new age determination in England. Zillmer’s Thesis in his book Darwin’s Mistake and Mistake Earth Science, that the Grand Canyon analogous to deliverances of the native Havasupai was formed in a great flood during times of their ancestors, was reputedly confirmed by new research of the US Geologic Commission: Super floods with a body of water the 37-fold size of the Mississippi-flood carved the Grand Canyon in several stages catastrophically, well over 1300 years ago for the last time.
In the context of catastrophic incidents in earth’s history the Dinosaur-Palaeogeography introduced in his Dinosaur’s Guide takes up special room. The globally increasing number of discoveries of dinosaurs have –according to Zillmer- led to the fact, that more and more dinosaurs are being found on wrong continents, by means of the timetable of plate tectonics already isolated and divided by oceans. As a solution to this problem Zillmer offers the model of earth expansion. The verification of natural disasters up to the 15th century in the sense of catastrophism has also eventually led to the amendment of the course of the old -, and new world’s history of civilization (criticism of chronology) in his book Columbus came last. In this book Zillmer also presents the Celts in America-Theory, whereupon Celts and Romans have already been to America before the Vikings (Greenland Bridge-Theory).. He underpins his theory with photos including precise statements of places of Celtic menhirs and dolmen as well as of Roman coins in America (colonization of America).
[edit] Critique
Within the scientific community Zillmer's ideas are considered as pseudoscience. Geologists criticize especially Zillmer's lack of understanding of fundamentals. For example, from the existence of dinosaur bones, dinosaur tracks and of abundant fossils, older than 64 million years, close to and on top of the earth's surface, he concludes that this should be impossible, because these fossils ought to be buried under jounger Tertiary and Quarternary stratas. At this Zillmer does nor consider the action of weathering and erosion, that may have removed existing sediments, neither the fact, that sediments are formed only in a very few environments in the first place.
Although Zillmer's approach to biology and paleontology is decidedly anti-darwinistic, the leading organisation of Anti-Darwinists (Creationists) in Germany ("Studiengemeinschft Wort und Wissen") states:
- Indeed the author, being an engineer, is a layman on this subject, however this does not have to disqualify him from the outset. Nevertheless it shows clearly, that Zillmer does not take into consideration the fundamental geological knowledge.
As Zillmer regards himself as a non-religious person, and a promoter of catastrophism, rather than creationism, the refusal between him and the Studiengemeinschaft is mutual, though.
[edit] Books by Zillmer
- Darwin´s Mistake, Adventures Unlimited Press: 2Rev Ed edition (January 2003), original title: Darwins Irrtum, Langen Müller: München 1998, 8th edition 2006, ISBN 3-7844-2709-X, translated in ten foreign languages
