The Academic Council of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences did not agree with the appointment of a new director

The Scientific Council of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) demanded to reconsider the appointment of Anatoly Chernyaev to the post of interim director. The statement of the Academic Council is published on the Institute’s website.

It notes that it was planned to reappoint Andrei Smirnov, who headed the Institute since 2015, to the position of Acting Director, but Chernyaev was appointed instead “-” hastily, without necessarily provided for by the procedure of agreement with the Russian Academy of Sciences and in complete secrecy from the Institute. “

Scientists emphasize that the decision to appoint Chernyaev “has not been publicly discussed anywhere” and that he does not have “the minimum scientific and administrative authority necessary for this responsible position.” According to the statement, the reason for the appointment of Chernyaev to the post of director was his personal statement.

It is noted that Chernyaev was dismissed from the posts of deputy director of the institute and head of the sector of the history of Russian philosophy and was a leading researcher. The statement also says that he participated in “a campaign to discredit the Institute as a whole and in particular its leadership”, the center of which is the resource “Constantinople”.

Scientists emphasize that the appointment to the post of head of the institute “a candidate of sciences without a name in the scientific world and any support in the team has already caused a wide public response” and ask the higher authorities “to reconsider such a strange appointment.” In addition, the statement calls on the Russian scientific community, independent analysts and the media “to support the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences in this odious and unprecedented situation for the academic community.”