Lysenko and the Tragedy of Soviet Science

by Valery N. Soyfer

In this book, Dr. Soyfer, a former Soviet scientist who had met Lysenko, documents the destruction of science and scientists under the influence of Lysenko. Contrary to numerous opinions, Lysenko was an poorly educated agronomist who happened to have been in the right place at the right In the '30s, "Pravda" wrote him up as a pioneering scientist. Recognizing that newspapers and popular support could fuel his rise to the top of Soviet society, he set about making a name for himself as a scientist in non-academic journals and periodicals. His peasant upbringing and miraculous findings--never empirically proven or duplicated--made him a star proletarian scientist, the kind needed to bring about true Communism. Along his way to the top, he was assisted by many people who thought him a sincere, but ill preparted, scientist; he later had many of these people purged after gaining the almost total support of Stalin and Khrushchev. His grand claims of producing superior cattle and wheat, among other things, consistently failed, yet no one dared oppose or even question his policies. Whether to propel himself upward, bring down the academics he apparently detested, or protect himself and his "science", Lysenko nearly eliminated all serious work in genetics, agriculture, and biology from the '30s into the '60s. Numerous scientists were exiled, fired, or executed during his reign as the people's scientist; according to the author, the effects still linger in Russia. An amazing story of how, when politics decrees what science is acceptable and how it is going to work in the political paradigm, the results can be tragic.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Biology

410 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1994

Reviews

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are probably better books for the general reader about the Lysenko affair. The author was a student during some of the events and knew many of the participants, so the book spends way too much time on specific scientific committee meetings, including printing transcripts. The details can be fascinating for a historian though, or someone who already knows the history of genetic research in the USSR and wants a closer account of participants.

[Bobby B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gives credence to the nuances of Communism in the Soviet Union and how famine killed so many peasants of the Soviet Union. Pseudo-science is a killer and history can prove cyclical unfortunately.

[Mark Isaak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot imagine that a better history of Lysenko could ever be written. Soyfer entered the world of Soviet biology early enough that he witnessed much of Lysenko's history himself and late enough that he could still get historical perspective, and he had connections to speak with the people (including Lysenko himself) and get the documents to cover most of the details. The book is not perfect; I would like to see an itemized list of the damage Lysenkoism caused, for example. And there is need for a more popular and readable history with even more perspective, but I think any additional history will need to start with Soyfer.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 4 out of 5]

An important read on the negative effects of blind ideology. I'm surprised that the scientists who stood up to Lysenko aren't more widely known as heroes and martyrs of science alongside Galileo and the like.