M.Ya. Vygodsky: Life and Research in Cultural and Historical Context

Abstract. The article presents a study of the life and scientific career of the outstanding Soviet mathematician M.Y. Vygodsky, who was one of the founders of the Soviet school of mathematical history. The paper considers the events of his life and work in the context of social events of the first half of the 20th century. Special attention is paid to the episode that became a watershed in the scientist’s career – the publication of the book “Galileo and the Inquisition” in 1934. Despite his subsequent expulsion from the Party and serious disgrace, M.Y. Vygodsky continued his scientific and teaching activities, showing himself to be a strong and purposeful person throughout his life. The author of the article, the great-grandson of the scientist, reflects and demonstrates through the biography of M.Y. Vygodsky how the individual fate of an extraordinary and talented individual is shaped in the historical and cultural context.

Keywords: M.Ya. Vygodsky, N.Ya. Vygodsky, history of mathematics, historical and mathematical school, “Galileo and the Inquisition”, N.I. Bukharin, Moscow Mathematical Society, O.Y. Schmidt, D.D. Morduhay-Boltovsky.