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Mathematics : in the Humanities and Social Sciences

Berglund, Krista The Vexing Case of Igor Shafarevich, a Russian Political Thinker

In the 1990s “the Shafarevich case” stirred a heated discussion in the mathematics community about a fundamental ethical principle: Can scientific honorary societies make demands to their members concerning their non- scientific views? Another obvious problem becomes topical with the present study and concerns the ethical repercussions of the fact that Shafarevich was demonized without reasonable justification This study, written by a historian of ideas and a specialist of Russian studies, Birkhäuser also introduces Shafarevich’s companionships with some of the most 2012, XIV, 542 p. interesting cultural figures of the in his youth, his extensive 1st activities for defense of human rights and struggle against communist edition propaganda in This is the first comprehensive study about the non-mathematical writings and activities of the Russian algebraic geometer and number theorist Igor Shafarevich (b. 1923). In the 1970s Printed book Shafarevich was a prominent member of the ’ human rights movement and a noted Hardcover author of clandestine anti-communist literature in the Soviet Union. Shafarevich’s public image Printed book suffered a terrible blow around 1989 when he was decried as a dangerous ideologue of anti- Hardcover Semitism due to his newly-surfaced old manuscript Russophobia. The scandal culminated ISBN 978-3-0348-0214-7 when the President of the National Academy of Sciences of the suggested that $ 149,99 Shafarevich, an honorary member, resign. The present study establishes that the allegations about anti-Semitism in Shafarevich’s texts were unfounded and that Shafarevich’s terrible Available reputation was cemented on a false basis. Discount group Professional Books (2) Order online at springer.com/booksellers Product category Springer Nature Customer Service Center LLC Monograph 233 Spring Street Other renditions New York, NY 10013 Softcover USA ISBN 978-3-0348-0748-7 T: +1-800-SPRINGER NATURE Softcover (777-4643) or 212-460-1500 [email protected] ISBN 978-3-0348-0216-1

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ISBN 978-3-0348-0214-7 / BIC: PDE / SPRINGER NATURE: SCM32000 Part of