The master got angry

On November 28, President Putin fired four officials who, contrary to his written order, became academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences. According to the President, if a civil servant works conscientiously at his post, he should not have time for science

Mikhail Gelfand, professor at Moscow State University, consultant at Dissernet

The question immediately arises: were Academicians Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov and Mstislav Vsevolodovich Keldysh scientists or officials? Everyone knows that they were outstanding scientists. But it is also true that they skillfully led large research teams - that is, they were successful civil servants. So, not everything is so simple and unambiguous.

So, in general, the situation with the November layoffs is easiest to describe with the words "the master was angry." For with regard to some academicians, Putin's decision is obviously inadequate. For example, Deputy Minister of Education and Science Alexei Lopatin (who, however, was fired not by Putin, but by Medvedev, but we understand that this is one person) is a really high-level paleontologist. There is no doubt that this is a real scientist and that he became an academician for his scientific merits. Yes, he retrained as officials, and relatively recently, but this does not detract from his scientific merits. They say that another dismissed person, Vasily Khristoforov, who was the head of the Registration and Archival Funds Department of the FSB, is a professional archivist, a historian of quite a decent level.

On Putin's part, this is not a political decision, it is neither good nor bad. It's just a different genre: such a classic tyranny in the style of Russian literature of the XIX century. Aksakov's grandfather ripped out his wife's braid - do you remember "Childhood of Bagrov-grandson"? - And Putin offends officials.

Separately, it must be said that the scolding of the leadership of the Russian Academy of Sciences because of the academic officials was arranged in a completely ugly manner at a meeting of the Council for Science and Education. And that is why now everyone is discussing the scandal with layoffs, and no one is discussing the strategy for scientific and technological development of Russia, adopted at the same meeting. But in fact, we are talking about a much more serious information occasion, the most important document for the country. It would seem that this is what should be discussed in the context of science, and not who Putin yelled at and who he did not yell at. Some conspiracy theorists in the scientific community generally believe that the exemplary dismissals were a deceptive maneuver in order to divert public attention. I don't know if this is true or not, I'm not a conspiracy theorist.

Finally, if it suddenly turns out that Vladimir Vladimirovich took care of the cleanliness of scientific papers among the people around him, then it would be nice to return the statute of limitations for defending a dissertation - 10 years, not 3 years. Now there is a ten-year term, but it does not apply to those dissertations that were defended in 2008, 2009, 2010: these people are under amnesty. Well, if "Dissernet" is provided with a list of employees of the presidential administration, then we will be happy to provide a certificate of all dissertations. On our own initiative, we will not do this, but if it suddenly turns out that someone needs it, it will be great.

And the last - about the title of academician. Now we have united the Academy of Sciences with the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, where the criteria and requirements for admission to academicians are significantly, simply incomparably lower. After that, the very title of academician was so depreciated that it is no longer very clear what to fight for at all.