The publishing house Mann, Ivanov & Ferber has published in Russian a book by Loren Graham, a professor at Harvard and MIT, called Lonely Ideas: Can Russia Compete? This work represents a truly serious investigation of the Russian economy, all of its sectors, and quite fundamentally and over the course of 300 years. Another highlight of the book is that it offers a multitude of archival photos and portraits of great Russian scholars.
The author is an expert on Russia and is quite knowledgeable in his field. He has travelled across the entire country, and his numerous contacts include thousands of Russian academics and engineers, fellows at universities, research institutes and industrial establishments. Loren Graham is one of the leading foreign experts on the history of Russian science. Among his chief interests is the history of the technological inventions in Russia. Analyzing technological evolution and the evolution of technical thinking in Russia, examining the stages of industrial development – military technology, energy, railroads, aviation and later semiconductors, biotechnologies, computers, lasers and much more – he tries to answer the question which headlines his book.
The author has a rather high opinion of the creative capabilities of the Russian people. “Russians are very creative people, as their achievements in music, literature, mathematics and basic science richly demonstrate. In these fields Russians have deeply influenced the artistic and intellectual world. The educated public of America and other countries does not need to be told who Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy or Dostoyevsky, and scientists and mathematicians similarly do not need reminding of the identities of Lobachevski, Mendeleev, Kolmogorov or Landau. Russians usually do well in such areas” Graham says. However, he points out, in technological fields and particularly in the commercialization of technologies Russians have not been equally successful. In other words, it is not a problem of the creative impotence of Russians but rather an inability to create a serious, self-sufficient technological tradition.
According to Graham, technology – or more precisely its successful application – comes about through an amalgamation of technical thinking and social order. In short, society determines demand for technology and consequently also determines the success of technological projects.
“The success of technology, which usually means profitability in a competitive international market, usually takes place outside the research laboratory, in the social and economic environment of the society as a whole. Russians have not done well in such activity. Where is the Russian Thomas Edison, Bill Gates or Steve Jobs? Actually, they exist, but you have never heard of them because they fell flat on their faces when they tried to commercialize their inventions in Russia,” the book’s author asserts. Moreover, according to the researcher, the difference did not emerge yesterday but rather hundreds of years ago.
In search for an answer to this question Loren Graham carefully examines the technological era in Russian history: the tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet. He does so with great erudition, drawing parallels and comparisons and also critically analyzing Russian innovations.
The professor’s conclusion sounds rather unpleasant: a Russian person is just as talented as he is limited in his opportunities for making use of the fruits of these talents. But he does put forth specific examples. It is sufficient to recall the fates of many talented Russian inventors who were forced to emigrate from Russia following the revolution – there’s the aircraft designer Igor Sikorsky, one of the pioneers of television technology Vladimir Zworykin, the inventor of light emitting diodes Oleg Losev, the prominent geneticist Theodosius Dobzhansky and many others.
No fewer problems are faced by modern-day Russian Kulibins – according to Graham they include criminal pressures and bureaucratic obstacles. As a result many young Russian companies prefer to “hid” and do not play a visible role in public life.
The American scholar also writes about the unique psychology of Russians, particularly apparent in the 19th and 20th centuries, that perceives business to be a shameful endeavor. From personal conversations with modern Russian scientists and students Graham does not sense a particular desire to start and develop their own business – something that practically every American student dreams of doing. The Russians often dream about taking their own path, following “loftier aims.”
The conclusion that Russia is incapable of supporting the development of technologies seems paradoxical coming from Graham: he not only knows Russia well but clearly has affections for the country and Russians in general, recognizing the great creative potential of the nation.
The lesson which he believes history has for modern-day Russians is that the success of technological modernization depends much more on the characteristics of society then on separate technologies.
This conclusion is not indisputable, considering the history of Soviet modernization – the demand for technology was formed by the state and not society. Or, for example, the history of contemporary China, where the technological impulse came from up high, and society can only quite conditionally be called modernized.
Nonetheless, Loren Graham’s book is without a doubt worth reading. At a minimum it provides a look at Russia from yet another unusual angle. Moreover, this view comes from a truly interested person and unquestionable professional. And finally, this is a truly honest attempt at getting to the bottom of what is not quite right with technology and business in Russia.
Elena Veshkina
