Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov, how I remember him

Abstract

Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov was a reputed pedagogue, historian and philosopher of logic with a strong interest in the methodology of science. Smirnov, who served он the author's doctoral dissertation committee, and with whom he worked since 1981, is remembered principally as a teacher and historian and philosopher of logic. From the standpoint of the author Smirnov's fundamental contribution was the re-discovery and dissemination of the work of turn-of-the-century Kazan logician N. A. Vasil'ev, in particular of Vasil'ev's development of non-classical logic. Smirnov was also an original logician who worked in proof theory, especially applying to proof theory the insights which he gleaned from his study of Vasil'ev and which he in turn further developed as formal systems.

The author writes about "Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov, as I remember him". It was Smirnov who developed the author's interest in Vasil'iev's work in logic, and the author gives a personalized account of Smirnov's influence on the direction of his own work in history of logic, of the collegial and professional relations which he developed with Smirnov, and of Smirnov as a scholar. Personally, Smirnov was an open, benevolent individual.