Loren Graham
Encyclopedia
Loren R. Graham is a noted historian of science
, considered the leading scholar on Russian
science outside that country.
For almost fifty years he has published on that subject and others, and has taught at Indiana University, Columbia University
, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, and Harvard University
, where he is currently a research associate. He was a participant in one of the first academic exchange programs between the United States and the Soviet Union
, studying at Moscow University
in 1960-1961, and he has lived and worked in Russia
dozens of times. He usually goes to Russia several times a year.
In addition to history of science, he has also written a popular book on Native American history (A Face in the Rock) and a memoir (Moscow Stories) which describes his youth in the United States and his adventures in Russia. He has also been a strong supporter of human rights and scholarship. He was a member of the board of trustees of George Soros’s International Science Foundation
which gave financial support to scientists in Russia immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. For many years he has been a member of the Governing Council of the Program on Basic Research and Higher Education, which supports the combining of research and teaching in Russian universities and is financially supported by the MacArthur Foundation
, the Carnegie Corporation, the Russian Ministry of Science and Education, and local groups in Russia. He is a member of the advisory council of the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation
, which supports international scientific collaboration. For many years he was a member of the board of trustees of the European University at St. Petersburg and still serves on the board of a body raising money for that university. He gave several thousand books from his library to the European University which has established a special collection in his name.
In much of his work in the history of science, Graham has demonstrated the influence of social context on science, even its theoretical structure. For example, in his Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union (which was a finalist for a National Book Award
) he delineated the influence of Marxism
on science in Russia — in some cases, such as the Lysenko Affair, deleterious, but, in other cases, particularly in physics
, psychology
, and origin of life studies, positive. In his most recent work, Naming Infinity (written together with the mathematician Jean-Michel Kantor,see www.math.jussieu.fr/~kantor ) he has shown the positive influence of a religious heresy on early work of the Moscow School of Mathematics. Thus, Graham is not a proponent of any particular ideological view in science, such as Marxism or religion, but instead believes that scientists are sometimes influenced by a variety of different belief systems and philosophies. Graham holds that occasionally this influence extends to mathematics
itself, as shown not only in his work on the Moscow School of Mathematics but also in his article Do Mathematical Equations Express Social Attributes? (The Mathematical Intelligencer
, 2000).
In addition to writing on the history of scientific theories, Graham has written much on the organization of science in Russia and the Soviet Union, including a book on the early history of the Soviet Academy of Sciences
(The Soviet Academy of Sciences and the Communist Party) and a more recent one on the situation of science in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union (Science in the New Russia, written together with Irina Dezhina).
In 1996 he received the George Sarton Medal
of the History of Science Society
and in 2000 he received the Follo Award of the Michigan Historical Society for his contributions to Michigan history
.
Graham is a member of a number of honorary societies, both American and foreign, including the American Philosophical Society
, the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, and the Russian Academy of Natural Science. His books have been published in English, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, French,and Chinese.
Loren Graham and his wife Patricia, a prominent historian of education and a former dean at Harvard University
, many years ago purchased a lighthouse on a remote island in Lake Superior
and spend their summers there writing, studying nature, and serving as Coast Guard
auxiliarists who have participated in many rescue operations of stranded and wrecked mariners. The lighthouse is described on the following website:
http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/grandnorth/index.htm
History of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, considered the leading scholar on Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
science outside that country.
For almost fifty years he has published on that subject and others, and has taught at Indiana University, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, and Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he is currently a research associate. He was a participant in one of the first academic exchange programs between the United States and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, studying at Moscow University
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
in 1960-1961, and he has lived and worked in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
dozens of times. He usually goes to Russia several times a year.
In addition to history of science, he has also written a popular book on Native American history (A Face in the Rock) and a memoir (Moscow Stories) which describes his youth in the United States and his adventures in Russia. He has also been a strong supporter of human rights and scholarship. He was a member of the board of trustees of George Soros’s International Science Foundation
Soros Foundation
A Soros Foundation is one of a network of national foundations, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, which fund volunteer socio-political activity, created by George Soros, international financier and self-proclaimed philanthropist, and coordinated since early 1994 by a management team called the...
which gave financial support to scientists in Russia immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union. For many years he has been a member of the Governing Council of the Program on Basic Research and Higher Education, which supports the combining of research and teaching in Russian universities and is financially supported by the MacArthur Foundation
MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Based in Chicago but supporting non-profit organizations that work in 60 countries, MacArthur has awarded more than US$4 billion since its inception in 1978...
, the Carnegie Corporation, the Russian Ministry of Science and Education, and local groups in Russia. He is a member of the advisory council of the U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation
U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation
CRDF Global is an "... independent nonprofit organization that promotes international scientific and technical collaboration ..." CRDF Global was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1992 under the Freedom Support Act and established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation...
, which supports international scientific collaboration. For many years he was a member of the board of trustees of the European University at St. Petersburg and still serves on the board of a body raising money for that university. He gave several thousand books from his library to the European University which has established a special collection in his name.
In much of his work in the history of science, Graham has demonstrated the influence of social context on science, even its theoretical structure. For example, in his Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union (which was a finalist for a National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
) he delineated the influence of Marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
on science in Russia — in some cases, such as the Lysenko Affair, deleterious, but, in other cases, particularly in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, and origin of life studies, positive. In his most recent work, Naming Infinity (written together with the mathematician Jean-Michel Kantor,see www.math.jussieu.fr/~kantor ) he has shown the positive influence of a religious heresy on early work of the Moscow School of Mathematics. Thus, Graham is not a proponent of any particular ideological view in science, such as Marxism or religion, but instead believes that scientists are sometimes influenced by a variety of different belief systems and philosophies. Graham holds that occasionally this influence extends to mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
itself, as shown not only in his work on the Moscow School of Mathematics but also in his article Do Mathematical Equations Express Social Attributes? (The Mathematical Intelligencer
Mathematical Intelligencer
The Mathematical Intelligencer is a mathematical journal published by Springer Verlag that aims at a conversational and scholarly tone, rather than the technical and specialist tone more common amongst such journals.-Mathematical Conversations:...
, 2000).
In addition to writing on the history of scientific theories, Graham has written much on the organization of science in Russia and the Soviet Union, including a book on the early history of the Soviet Academy of Sciences
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
(The Soviet Academy of Sciences and the Communist Party) and a more recent one on the situation of science in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union (Science in the New Russia, written together with Irina Dezhina).
In 1996 he received the George Sarton Medal
George Sarton Medal
The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society. It has been awarded annually since 1955. It is awarded to an historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifetime of scholarly achievement" in the field...
of the History of Science Society
History of Science Society
The History of Science Society is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science.It was founded in 1924 by George Sarton and Lawrence Joseph Henderson, primarily to support the publication of Isis, a journal of the history of science Sarton had started in 1912....
and in 2000 he received the Follo Award of the Michigan Historical Society for his contributions to Michigan history
History of Michigan
See also Timeline of Michigan history.Thousands of years before the arrival of the first Europeans, eight indigenous tribes lived in what is today the state of Michigan...
.
Graham is a member of a number of honorary societies, both American and foreign, including the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
, the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, and the Russian Academy of Natural Science. His books have been published in English, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, French,and Chinese.
Loren Graham and his wife Patricia, a prominent historian of education and a former dean at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, many years ago purchased a lighthouse on a remote island in Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
and spend their summers there writing, studying nature, and serving as Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
auxiliarists who have participated in many rescue operations of stranded and wrecked mariners. The lighthouse is described on the following website:
http://www.terrypepper.com/lights/superior/grandnorth/index.htm
Graham’s major books
- Moscow in May 1963: Education and Cybernetics (with Oliver Caldwell), Washington, 1964
- The Soviet Academy of Sciences and the Communist Party, 1927—1932, Princeton University Press, 1967
- Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union, Alfred Knopf, 1972
- Between Science and Values, Columbia University Press, 1981
- Science in Russia and the Soviet Union: A Short History, Cambridge University Press, 1993
- Functions and Uses of Disciplinary Histories (edited with Wolf Lepenies and Peter Weingart), Reidel, 1983
- Red Star: The First Bolshevik UtopiaRed Star (novel)Red Star is Alexander Bogdanov's 1908 science fiction novel about a communist utopia on Mars. Set in early Russia during the Revolution of 1905 and on socialist Mars, the novel tells the story of Leonid, a scientist-revolutionary who travels to Mars to learn and experience their socialist system...
, by Alexander BogdanovAlexander BogdanovAlexander Aleksandrovich Bogdanov –7 April 1928, Moscow) was a Russian physician, philosopher, science fiction writer, and revolutionary of Belarusian ethnicity....
(edited with Richard Stites), Indiana University Press, 1984 - Science, Philosophy, and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union, Columbia University Press, 1987
- Science and the Soviet Social Order (edited), Harvard University Press, 1990
- The Ghost of the Executed Engineer, Harvard University Press, 1993
- The Face in the Rock: the Tale of a Grand Island Chippewa, University of California, 1995
- What Have We Learned about Science and Technology from the Russian Experience?, Stanford University Press, 1998
- Moscow Stories, Indiana University Press, 2006
- Grand Island and its Families (with Katherine Geffine Carlson) GIA, 2007
- Science in the New Russia: Crisis, Aid, Reform (with Irina Dezhina), Indiana University Press, 2008
- Naming Infinity: A True Story of Religious Mysticism and Mathematical Creativity,with Jean-Michel Kantor Harvard University Press, 2009
Sources
Biographical material and professional details for Loren Graham may be found in:- Loren Graham and Jean-Michel Kantor, 'A Comparison of Two Cultural Approaches to Mathematics', ISISIsis (journal)Isis is an academic journal published by University of Chicago Press. It focuses on the history of science, history of medicine, and the history of technology, as well as their cultural influences, featuring both original research articles as well as extensive book reviews and review essays.It was...
97 (2006), 56—74. See 'Notes on Contributors' published in the same issue. - Loren Graham and Jean-Michel Kantor, 'Russian Religious Mystics and French Rationalists: Mathematics, 1900—1930', Bulletin of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences, New Series 1 (175), no. 4 (2007), 44—52.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology bio (with photo)