Аннотация: The Monologue about Zhores Alferov and about "people of the 30th"
The Monologue about Zhores Alferov and about "people of the 30th"
Zhores Alferov died. The feeling that this event is significant.
Significant...
But why?
He is - a Nobel prize laureate...
Well...
What does that say?..
For example, Korolev and Kurchatov were not Nobel laureates.
The thought tries to use the scheme "the Nikolaev mode - the talented person".
Lermontov and Gogol are coming to memory. But this scheme is probably a scheme. In the end, It is possible with some stretch to remember D. Mendeleev or someone else from outstanding scientists who worked in Russia in the era of Nicholas I.
And in general, since some moment (since the beginning 20 centuries?) "popularity" in science becomes a size not really dependent on concrete discoveries.
On the one hand, the movement of scientific knowledge "breaks away", "comes off" from the mass consciousness.
Scientific knowledge is becoming more and more specialized. The achievements of one specialist can be evaluated by other specialists, but not by the General public.
On the other hand, like everything in our world, scientific knowledge is dependent on media campaigns.
We will not consider such a peculiar result of media campaigns as the glorification of pseudoscience (there are no results in reality, and there is a lot of "noise" and "glorification").
Let's take for discussion positive result of media campaigns. Large technical and technological shifts are more clear to society, public, media.
And if the focus of our attention is (1) major technological changes and (2) figures personifying them, then we see the "effect of the 30s of the 20th century."
For example, to some extent, the figure of N. Garin-Mikhailovsky personifies the construction of the great Siberian rail way (I assume that such imagination - simplification).
What we see? N. Garin-Mikhailovsky is one of many engineers, although he is one of the most talented, highly qualified and well-known specialists.
Garin-Mikhailovsky has no special titles, no special public recognition.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla acted. During this period they have also no any special titles or special recognition (but their fame increases. Garin-Mikhailovsky somehow very suddenly died in 1906).
But there comes the era of the 30th years (conditionally it is possible to attach to it both the 40th, and even the 50th years of the 20th century).
Both Edison, and Tesla gain wide recognition. In Russia - Krzhizhanovsky acts. He personifies electrification. He also gains fame, recognition.
If we consider Russia, there are such figures as Korolev and Kurchatov. They both occupy an outstanding positions in the USSR.
If we "stay "within the history of Russia, then we see the project"Buran". Personally, I have a project "Buran" is associated with the name O. D. Baklanov (his name is mentioned in the Wikipedia article "Buran" [in Russian] only once under the heading "Links"). In the case Of O. D. Baklanov, we see some titles and a certain recognition. But the biography is quite controversial...
... The 30s are over.
Further someone could notice certain "movement" in Roskosmos - the program of "space tourism".
Although this program was started under Yuri Koptev, but for me she is associated with the name of A.N. Perminov. Whether A. Perminov had a special recognition, special titles? He "left" quietly-peacefully, "in connection with achievement of age limit of stay on the public civil service".
What else is remembered "from a science"? Strong lawyers (theorists and practitioners), mainly in the field of constitutional law, - approximately during the period from 1989 to 1993 ...
What else you can to remember? The period of creation of various Internet services in Russia? Maybe at someone this period is associated with the name of Paul Durov...
Here, remembering Pavel Durov, we can " go " beyond Russia.
Howard Hughes, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Julian Assange, Elon Musk ... (memory of each specific person is selective. Someone will remember other surnames).
Somehow they are connected with Michael Faraday, Henry Thomas Buckle, Thomas Edison: big abilities, considerable energy and not really there is a lot of formal education. Probably, each of them has (had) both popularity, and recognition ...
So, let's return to the figure of Zhores Ivanovich Alferov. Probably, him it is possible, let and with some convention, to include into "people of the 30th". He "succeeded" to get and fame, and titles, and recognition. He so "entered" into the history of science and technology, that already" new times", if they wanted, could not "beat out" him from there.
Someone will assume that the departure from the life of Zhores Ivanovich Alferov is a symbolic event:
the era of "people of the 30th years" comes to the end (option: this era completed).
March 2, 2019 21: 13
Translation from Russian into English: March 2, 2019 22:08.
Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Монолог о Жоресе Алфёрове и о 'людях 30-х''.