"We must have fun into darkness"

T. Maybe God forgive me, Ren? " - exclaimed one of the readers of our newspaper, learning who became the new honorary academician lied. On October 6, the majority of the jury of the antipremia of the “Dol-2018” spoke up for the fact that the contribution of the corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Oleg Ilyich Epstein to the pseudoscience of the most weight. The vote took place right in front of the participants of the forum “Scientists against myths”, held the day before in Moscow.

Recall that earlier the company Material Holding, the director of which is Epstein, received the anti -aircraft “for the most harmful pseudoscientific project”, awarded annually as part of the “For Fidelity of Science” ceremony. This time in the final, Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences left far behind him (according to the votes of 13 members of the jury) of three applicants at once: biologist Sergei Savelyev , historian Evgeny Ponasenkov and farmer German Sterligov .

The jury explained its choice of both rational and aesthetic considerations. “ Homeopathy, no matter how much it is served, is a harmful thing, because it drags into academic textbooks the holographic properties of bioplasm, laser properties of biofields, quantum and frequency characteristics of non-existent substances, etc. I want to protect my son, medical student, and all other medical students who will grow up on such textbooks and then will treat people dummy , ”said the jury, medical journalist Alexei Vodovozov . “ I am very pretty to the corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Oleg Epstein, and I decided to give him the most precious thing that is in this hall is a sculpture of reptiloid. After all, this is a wonderful work of art, and I am very sorry that in my scientific practice there was no pseudoscientific work that would give me a chance to win this reptiloid , ”said Vladimir Surdin, a member of the jury, astronomer.

Anthropologist Stanislav Drobyshevsky remarked that he voted for Epstein, because, in his opinion, “ this is a pseudoscience of a pure test, but from the position of real science [specialists] with real [scientists] titles in scientific journals argue that this is science. And even the government gives rewards for this, and at the same time a person is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and this is completely sad . ”

Biologist Mikhail Nikitin emphasized that he did not vote for Hermann Sterligov, since " this cunning businessman even black PR will turn it to his benefit and still earn money, and he will not mask under the scientist." Nikitin also supported Epstein’s candidacy, since the “Material Firm” was noted by the advertisement of his homeopathic drugs as a replacement for vaccinations from tick -borne encephalitis and borreliosis . ”

The jury member Igor Kurukin said that he did not vote for Ponasenkov, even though he distinguished himself in the field of the pseudo -historical, because he is “ a pattern, there is not enough scale; No, in his book to assume that Kutuzov was a secret fan of Napoleon, a democrat in his soul and was ready to let the French into Moscow ... ”But there wasn’t enough fantasy, and therefore the voice of this member of the jury left a man who“ knows how to make money ”.

In turn, Nikita Sokolov from the Free Historical Society also supported Epstein’s candidacy, since he “ poses a clear and direct threat to people's lives ”. Nevertheless, he considers Mr. Ponasenkov “an extremely dangerous phenomenon in the future”: “ No pseudoscience can exist without debauchery of the humanitarian sphere. First, it is necessary to corrupt humanitarian science in order to become impossible a strict message, and then it becomes possible pseudoscience in natural-scientific and accurate areas . ” In his opinion, " Evgeny Ponasenkov is an example of a successful gamer in the humanitarian sphere ."

The historian of science, Igor Dmitriev , supporting the idea of ​​anti -aircraft, lied and quoting the phrase “we must have fun into the darkness”, admitted that he voted for Ponasenkov, since he was extremely charming. It is interesting that the hall was attended by the adherents of the pseudo -historical, who demanded a microphone, and then, without receiving it, launched a sound video from the balcony through a portable speaker, designed to disrupt the ceremony. But it was done so ineptly that it looked in a pre -invented part of the action. And all this only added the severity and fun of what is happening on the forum.

During the online voting among the audience of online broadcasts, Oleg Epstein was ahead of other candidates, gaining 31.2% of the votes of more than 600 respondents.

In the commentary of the TRV-HUNDER, Mikhail Gelfand noted that Oleg Epstein achieved great progress. He “ developed inhuman release-active ”, “ If he is only a member of the Big Academy, then at the Academy of Versault pseudoscience-an entire academician .” Mikhail Gelfand was surprised and delighted that not only representatives of natural sciences, but also humanities voted for Epstein’s candidacy: after all, the latter had strong temptations to vote for Savelyev’s biologist, who “ brings crap in humanitarian areas ,” or for the pseudo -historian of Ponasenkov.

Gelfand said that the first meeting of the court on the claim filed by Epstein to the TRV-HUNDER and its authors had already taken place, but it was purely formal. At the end of October, we will talk about substantial issues. “ I can add from myself that Mr. Epstein opened a jar of worms. When qualified people began to carefully look at what he and his colleagues are doing, he jumped out a bunch of interesting things. We will see all this . ”

Natalia Demina