Free historical society responded to the criticism of Vladimir Medinsky
Free historical society responded to the words of Minister Vladimir Medinsky to the “Discarnate”. Official statements have caused scientists concern for the future of domestic historical science.
Free historical society (VIO) made a statement concerning the article of the Minister of culture, Vladimir Medinsky, “Interesting story.” The members of the society notice that this material I tried not to give public evaluations of the thesis of Medina, although the quality of his work “does not withstand professional criticism,” but the publication of the dissertation brought the scandal beyond the dispute about the scientific value of a particular job.
Medina’s statements caused the members of VIO concern for the future of historical science, which they had to break the silence. “Article written by an official, which have a significant effect on the formation of “historical policy”, its methodological principles can not disturb the scientific community. Anxiety is more than justified in our country where the intervention of authorities in the science of history in the past often had severe destructive consequences,” the authors of the statement.
The Minister visited all professional claims to his thesis related to the inability to work with sources, indicate in the FAQ.
His answer to the opponents of the “Discarnate” is “overtly political nature”, moreover, the Minister is not distinguished chronicler of the researcher, and a scientific hypothesis from a groundless fantasy. The article Medina similar to the “shouts” practiced in the Soviet press, which was to ensure that the approach of domestic Humanities should be a class. The difference is that in Soviet times, this approach is claimed to be objectivity and truthfulness, and the Minister indicates that there is no truth at all, and there is only manipulation. “His attitude is the flesh of today’s Russian “ideology” built not so much on the fact that “we all well”, as that “Yes, we lie, but who isn’t?” scientists in a statement.
The statement is a quote from the article Medina: “Ideas and myths that took over the masses, historically outweighed any of the Colosseum and viaducts”. VIO agree with the statement of the Minister, but notice that only “an absolute Amateur” puts on a par the myth and its scientific interpretation. Otherwise, historical knowledge is constantly changing with each generation of historians. Instead, the historical science is constructed through the accumulation of knowledge.
The main conclusion made in VIO — Medina did not consider the history of science.
For this reason the authors cite another of his quote: “Zazhmurte eyes, take a deep breath and admit at least to themselves, silently. Admit it: authentic the past does not exist”. This statement historians have called a shocking and appropriate for the cynical postmodernist-Cam, but not for the professional historian, Minister of culture. “The author of such statements should voluntarily give up a degree and get out of the mentioned Companies (the Russian military-historical society, where Medina is Chairman. — RBC)”, — the authors believe treatment.
After reading the article Medina of the dissertation Council of Belgorod University, which will consider the thesis of the Minister on 7 July, “just have” to deprive her of the author, scientific degree, or to immediately declare their dissolution, conclude the authors of the statement. The Medina itself for a meeting of the Council will not come. The statement about the withdrawal of the Minister of the status of the doctor of historical Sciences was filed in April 2016, a scholar, an activist of the community “Discerned” by Ivan Babitsky, a doctor of historical Sciences by Vyacheslav Kozakovem and doctor of historical Sciences Konstantin Erusalimsky. They believe that in his work there are gross errors, and the methodology is unscientific.
To Belgorod job went to two of the dissertation Council of the Ural Federal University and Moscow state University. University. In Ekaterinburg Medina could not attend because of a busy schedule, and the thesis was withdrawn from the Council. At MSU discussion on the merits did not take place. Medina said his opponents from the “Discarnate” July 4, 2017. He noticed that he was silent for so long, because the charges were “ridiculous”. The Minister stressed that his work had failed to detect plagiarism, but because it was called “pseudoscience”. His main argument against opponents — the inability to look at history objectively, “there is No “objective Nestor”. There is no “absolute objectivity”. Is that from the point of view of an alien. Any historian always is the bearer of a certain culture, ideas of his circle and his time”.
RBC is waiting for a response from the press services of the Ministry of culture and the Ministry of education on the statement of VIO.