1. The Radical Engineer 2. From Political Prisoner to Soviet Consultant 3. Early Soviet Industrialization 4. Technocracy, Soviet Style 5. Contemporary Engineering Failures Epilogue: The Ghost of Peter Palchinsky Notes Acknowledgments Index
Loren Graham is Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In this gem of a book, Loren R. Graham, our foremost authority on
Soviet science and technology, draws the reader into the life story
of Peter Palchinsky, a remarkable Soviet engineer who was executed
in 1929 for treason...Like all memorable books, [this one] leaves
the reader wrestling with large questions. The fate of Palchinsky
was specific to Stalinist Russia, but the story Mr. Graham tells
prompts us to reflect on the tenuous position of the
state-supported social critic in all places, at all times.
*New York Times Book Review*
Loren Graham has written a wonderful book about the relationship
between technology and society. He has woven together an account of
the life and work of a Russian engineer, Peter Palchinsky, and an
analysis of the failures of Soviet engineering projects. The result
is an elegant and concise essay on the dangers of engineering which
ignores human values...This superb book distills in a vivid and
moving way the results of Graham’s many years of research on Soviet
science and technology.
*Science*
Loren Graham clarifies important questions concerning the interface
between politics and technology, the significance of which extend
beyond the Soviet experience. Among the most striking of these is
the way his examples illustrate how arbitrary political power can
be deployed both to impose irrational policies, which flew in the
face of scientific laws, technical parameters and human
capabilities, and to misrepresent their consequences for public
consumption...This book will provide an invaluable insight into the
long-term impact of Stalinism on Soviet technical culture.
*Times Higher Education Supplement*
[A] provocative and engaging volume.
*New Republic*
This remarkable book by Loren R. Graham deals with one of the many
independent minds crushed by the Soviet government.
*American Historical Review*
A terrific read, and a needed reminder of what happens when
technology is loosed from social responsibility.
*Boston Globe*
In this gem of a book, Loren R. Graham, our foremost authority on
Soviet science and technology, draws the reader into the life story
of Peter Palchinsky, a remarkable Soviet engineer who was executed
in 1929 for treason...Like all memorable books, [this one] leaves
the reader wrestling with large questions. The fate of Palchinsky
was specific to Stalinist Russia, but the story Mr. Graham tells
prompts us to reflect on the tenuous position of the
state-supported social critic in all places, at all times. -- Susan
Gross Solomon * New York Times Book Review *
Loren Graham has written a wonderful book about the relationship
between technology and society. He has woven together an account of
the life and work of a Russian engineer, Peter Palchinsky, and an
analysis of the failures of Soviet engineering projects. The result
is an elegant and concise essay on the dangers of engineering which
ignores human values...This superb book distills in a vivid and
moving way the results of Graham's many years of research on Soviet
science and technology. -- David Holloway * Science *
Loren Graham clarifies important questions concerning the interface
between politics and technology, the significance of which extend
beyond the Soviet experience. Among the most striking of these is
the way his examples illustrate how arbitrary political power can
be deployed both to impose irrational policies, which flew in the
face of scientific laws, technical parameters and human
capabilities, and to misrepresent their consequences for public
consumption...This book will provide an invaluable insight into the
long-term impact of Stalinism on Soviet technical culture. -- Peter
Kneen * Times Higher Education Supplement *
[A] provocative and engaging volume. -- S. Frederick Starr * New
Republic *
This remarkable book by Loren R. Graham deals with one of the many
independent minds crushed by the Soviet government. -- Hiroaki
Kuromiya * American Historical Review *
A terrific read, and a needed reminder of what happens when
technology is loosed from social responsibility. -- Chet Raymo *
Boston Globe *
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