Customer Reviews

The Perversion of Knowledge: The True Story of Soviet Science

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Even if you know a bit about Soviet history, the history of Soviet science as told by Vadim Birstein is shocking and repulsive - all those great minds lost who were never allowed to make the great discoveries they no doubt would have made. The tragedy for not just Russian culture but human societies everywhere is hard to fathom. Russian culture up to the time of the Revolution of 1917 was in the midst of one of its greatest periods of florescence. It is known as the Silver Age to most, though some specialists refer to it as Russia's true Golden Age. The Bolsheviks put an end to that, and the loss was incalculable. The particular chapter of that story regarding the machinations, manipulations, and perversions in Russia's scientific community is told in great detail by Birstein, who witnessed some of that history from the inside; his father was a scientist. The stories of cowardice made me wince, though the rare acts of courage were inspiring.

The one complaint I have about the book is the poor copy editing. The author is not a native speaker, and the English was a bit spotty. For example, on p. 179, the same name is spelled differently in the same paragraph: Shirshov and Shiroshov. Also, on p. 248 is Schmalhauzen, and on the next page is Schmalhausen. Finally, on p. 260 is a letter that was obviously translated by author: "...somebody knocked at the door and a little bit strange head of a short man appeared." Things like this are amusing until you realize you paid for them. Elsewhere the author used "convicted to 25 years in prison" instead of "sentenced" or "condemned." Examples of bad English appear literally on every page. This the publisher's fault; it should have had the book copy edited. This doesn't detract from the contents, though it is disappointing to pay for a book and discover that the publisher wasn't interested in delivering a high-quality product.

All in all, though, it's a worthwhile read for anyone interested in Russian or Soviet history or the history of science.

This comprehensive recounting of the subordination of Soviet science is comparable to the Gulag Archipelago in its thoroughness. It is similarly a slow read due to the great detail and copious footnoting.

One only wishes that it had been proofread. The "Supreme Soviet" (legislature) is referred to throughout as "Highest Council", "collaborators" is given as "collaborates", "diverziya" (Russian for "sabotage") is rendered as "diversion", an enveloped is described as "concealed" instead of "sealed", etc. The printing is strangely irregular: often there are no spaces between a period and the first word of the next sentence.

Vadim Birstein has captured the sad and evil essence of Soviet Science. I always was mystified why theoretical science and math were so advanced in the former Soviet Union while APPLIED science/math and engineering failed so miserably. This book explains the reasons why.
The other revelation is that experimentation on political prisoners was commonplace in the former Soviet dictatorship. I guess Nazi Josef Mengele had his communist counterparts in Russia.
But throughout this madness I was shocked to find violent anti-Semitism running rampant throughout the State Organs, which controlled all science, engineering and medicine in Russia. It turns out that Hitler and Stalin had more in common than even I had ever suspected!
Required reading for those concerned about big government influence on scientific and medical research.

This may be one of the best-documented historical studies of life for science professionals in the former Soviet Union. Sadly, it is sickening!
I frankly came away with the feeling that there is very little demonstrable difference between fascism and communism at this level. It also answered a question that had always haunted me: why was Soviet theoretical science so advanced while the practical application of that science and engineering failed so miserably under communism in Russia? This book answers that question.
I think anyone who is concerned about the relationship between scientists and government should read this excellent work by Vadim J. Birstein.
One shocker for me: I had no idea that such violent anti-Semitism existed at so many levels in the former Soviet Union. Hitler and Stalin had a lot more in common than even I could have guessed!
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