Professor Levada Yuri Alexandrovich is an outstanding Soviet, Ukrainian and Russian sociologist. Thanks to his efforts, sociology from dogmatic, ideological and theoretical has been transformed into modern practical science, which makes it possible to dispassionately evaluate social processes and predict their further development. Under the Soviet regime, he was a disgraced scientist, but after the collapse of the USSR, he became one of the leading political scientists of Russia.
Biography
Levada Yuri Alexandrovich was born in the Ukrainian town of Vinnitsa 04.24.1930, where he spent his youth. The family was famous and respected. My grandmother came from the Count of the Lithuanian family Sangello. Grandfather Moreynis Lev Konstantinovich was a pharmacist, had a professorship and stood at the origins of the Vinnitsa Medical Institute. However, the old authorities were not interested in the new government. During the period of repression, he was declared a Japanese spy.
Mother Natalya Lvovna is a well-known journalist in the field, a correspondent for the Bilshovitska Pravda publication. Sister Kogan Moisei Aleksandrovich, unfortunately, left the family. He reached great heights in the scientific field, becoming the dean of the history department of the Pokrovsky Leningrad Pedagogical Institute. Later, Natalya Lvovna agreed with the writer Levada, Alexander Stepanovich, who adopted Yura. By the way, Levada knew and loved Ukrainian culture and language. After perestroika, he tried to participate in the scientific and public life of Ukraine.
School years
Yuri Levada has been attracted to social sciences since childhood. His analytical mind required new knowledge, interesting information, food for thought. With friends, he lectured to the villagers, although this was unsafe - Banderaites raged in the region.
Studying for him was incredibly easy, the reward of which was a gold medal at the end of school. Even then, a passion manifested (in a different way) for political science, sociology and journalism. Yura has issued a series of bold socio-political issues of the school newspaper "X". However, the teachers realized in time what the seditious thoughts of the students might lead to in turbulent times, and covered up the publication.
Higher education
After graduating from school in 1947, Yuri Levada turned his inquisitive gaze no more no less to the country's main university - Moscow State University. Moreover, he easily entered the elite philosophical faculty.
On his course, Yuri was a star, although he was the youngest in age. The older comrades, most of whom went through the war, were impressed by youthful enthusiasm and the gushing energy of a young fellow student. In addition, Levada was an open, outstanding interlocutor, with whom it was interesting to discuss the "adult" problems of political science and world order. His seminar speeches were distinguished by excellent knowledge of the subject matter and analyticity. It is not surprising that Yuri, the future creator of the reputable Levada Center, was appointed chief editor of a student newspaper.
On the verge of arrest
However, the cloudless life of a talented student cannot be called. At that time, a spirit of fear, denunciations, suspicion hovered over society. The authorities fought an invisible ideological struggle against cosmopolitans. Do not bypass the charges and Yura. A search was even conducted in his dormitory room, however, apart from portraits of the philosophers Spinoza and Marx, they found nothing. The clouds passed by.
Scientific activity
3 years after graduating from Moscow State University (1955), Yuri Levada defended his Ph.D. in philosophy, and in 1966 became a doctor of sciences, professor. He was the leader of the young sixties sociologists who dared to doubt that historical materialism is the only scientific sociology. The scientist tried, and not unsuccessfully, to free science from the orthodox dogmas of Marxism, to introduce new elements “from life”.
Yuri Alexandrovich led a seminar on the theory of sociology (and related sciences), which operated continuously from 1966 until the mid-80s. Guests at this workshop were:
- Literary critic Yuri Karjakin.
- Poet Naum Korzhavin.
- Linguist Ivanov.
- Political scientist Galkin.
- Philosopher Shchedrovitsky and others.
Continued at CEMI (Central Economics and Mathematics Institute), this seminar heard reports from a whole constellation of the most diverse, but non-trivial minds of the second half of the 20th century: M. Mamardashvili, A. Gurevich, S. Lem, T. Parsons, M. Chudakova, D. Segala, L. Batkina, S. Averintseva. The sociologist Levada, Yuri Alexandrovich, was able to find such minds, attract them to discussion, and share his experience.
Levada recalled: “Almost all of our meetings sooner or later led to the fact that I argued with all the speakers. It was an atmosphere of general debate, free conversation on any topic. But it was interesting, and no one was offended. "
Power of thought
In lectures of the 60-70s with amazing courage for that time, Yuri Levada states: “Sociology is an empirical social discipline that studies social systems in their functioning and development. This is such a science that relies on experimental studies of reality, its individual aspects, on experiment, and systematic observations of various types. ”
The scientist emphasizes that the scope of sociological knowledge is limited by the possibilities of the current state of research methods themselves. Sociology does not see everything in society - and should not see everything. She sees what is available to her empirical "tentacles":
- systematic observation;
- modern forms of social experiment.
The philosophers, Marxist-Leninists, conservative adherents of historical materialism, did not have at their disposal any reliable empirical materials, so they were forced to tailor Soviet reality to the dogmas and formulas of Marxist theory, and not to deduce the theory from reality (as Marx and Engels themselves called for). This distinguished them from young, broad-minded philosophers, political scientists, and sixties sociologists.
Opal
Yuri Alexandrovich did not hide his convictions, although he understood that he was advancing on the "sore spot" of Soviet orthodox philosophy. Thaw times of the 60s were gradually replaced by a period of stagnation of the 70-80s. At one of the conferences, the speech of Professor Levada was heard by Brezhnev himself. The Secretary General was struck by the freethinking of a scientist bordering sedition. According to his “recommendations”, in 1969 the sociologist was stripped of his professorship “for ideological mistakes made in lectures”.
The sanctions did not end there. Levada was removed from the post of head of the party bureau of the Institute for Specific Social Research, where he then worked. Thanks to the patronage of his colleagues, he miraculously avoided the shameful exclusion from the party, which could adversely affect further scientific activity.
However, this did not stop Yuri Alexandrovich. He continued his research, gave half-lectured lectures and enjoyed the same authority among ordinary students and eminent scientists.
Levada Center
With the advent of perestroika, much has become permitted. Yuri Alexandrovich was entrusted with the leadership in 1992 of the All-Russian Center for the Study of Public Opinion (VTsIOM), an important sociological institute that monitored public sentiment. In 2004, the organization was transformed into the Analytical Center of Yuri Levada.
The famous scientist enjoyed unquestioned authority among the authorities, colleagues, and political journalists. In 2004, the media called Yuri Alexandrovich the Person of the Year in the “Analytics” nomination. Unfortunately, Levada died November 16, 2006. He was buried in the capital at the Troekurovsky cemetery.
Scientists have actually written the country's first textbook of general sociology, which spells out the "basics" of science that students today study at sociological faculties and departments. He was remembered as an open conversationalist and teacher. Yu. A. Levada behaved on an equal footing with his audience, doubted something, ridiculed something, found meaning and rationality in something. It can be firmly said that his life was not wasted.