Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 2212.06212

Andrej N. Kolmogorov's in front of the affaire Lysenko: an episode in mathematics and ideology in the 20th century

Fascitiello Isabella
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

In this paper the context of the 1940 mathematical paper by Kolmogorov on Mendel's laws of genetics is considered, also thanks to a recent study by Stark and Seneta (2011). Kolmogorov's vision of the relationship between mathematics and science in the understanding of the natural world appears to have encouraged him in tacking part in the discussions around Mendelism in while Lysenko's position against it was becoming the only permissible for Soviet Union biologists.

Explore related subjects

math.HO

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Fascitiello Isabella. 2022-12-12. Andrej N. Kolmogorov's in front of the affaire Lysenko: an episode in mathematics and ideology in the 20th century. https://arxiv.org/abs/2212.06212

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Come for the vibe, stay for the math

This article describes our experiences in mathematical outreach over the past decade. We talk about specific activities, but also general principles that we've learned along the way.

math.HO↗
arXiv2026

From foundations to applications: reverse mathematics and philosophy

Reverse mathematics is a branch of mathematical logic dedicated to determining the minimal set existence principles necessary and sufficient to derive ordinary mathematical theorems about concrete structures like the real line. Since the mid-1970s, reverse mathematics has developed a systematic classification of the strength of theorems in areas of mathematics ranging from real and complex analysis to infinitary combinatorics. This essay will place reverse mathematics in its historical and philosophical context, and reveal its relevance to central issues in the philosophy of mathematics, from the foundational programmes of Hilbert and Brouwer to contemporary debates about realism, determinacy, and applicability of mathematics. In doing so, it will discuss the role of computability theory in measuring the strength of set existence principles, as well as related questions about idealisation when these principles are applied in the physical sciences and in philosophy.

math.HO↗