A Review of Maciej Górny, Velikaya voyna professorov. Gumanitarnye nauki 1912–1923 [The Russian translation by N. S. Polyakova of Maciej Górny, Wielka wojna profesorów. Nauki o człowieku (1912–1923). Warszawa: Instytut Historii PAN, 2014, 384 ss.]. St Petersburg: EUSP Press, 2021, 414 pp.

Abstract

This text reviews the Russian translation of Maciej Gorny’s book The Great War of Professors. Humanities. 1912–1923. After recollecting the main theses of the work, the review raises a question about the extent to which the extra-scientific knowledge (political, ideological, nationalistic) influences scientific knowledge and whether this influence can be eliminated. Both the book and some current developments lead the review’s author toward rather disappointing conclusions.