About the book: 2018 / UDC 57(47+57)(072) BBK 28d(2)SH 28A.I. Shatalkin. Political myths about Soviet biologists. ABOUT. Lepeshinskaya, G.M. Boshyan, conformists, Lamarckists and others. Moscow: Partnership of Scientific Publications KMK. 2016. 472 pp., 1 illus. The book examines the scientific, ideological and political aspects of the post-war confrontation between Soviet scientists in biology and the subsequent reflection of the related tragic events in the public consciousness and in the media. In the context of the latter, it was argued that there were shameful pages in the history of Russian biology when the Soviet government supported false scientists - among the most condemned are Lysenko, Lepeshinskaya and Boshyan (1), who promoted their pseudoscientific projects - Michurin biology, the doctrine of the origin of cells from living matter, the doctrine of the connection between “viruses” and bacteria, etc. (2), which they tried to impose in place of true science (3); The Soviet government was accused of forcing real scientists to abandon their scientific beliefs (4), i.e. acted like a medieval inquisition (5); for this purpose, she organized special meetings, courts of honor, sessions, etc., at which some scientists who had previously opposed pseudoscientific theories had to publicly repent, openly recognize the latter and thereby renounce genuine knowledge (6), while other scientists (conformists) were asked to necessarily approve these inquisitorial actions of the authorities against real scientists (7). It is shown that all these negative statements about Soviet biology, Soviet biologists and the Soviet government, as having no scientific basis, should be considered political myths, currently supported for propaganda reasons. The scientific disagreements between scientists were based on disputes over natural philosophical issues, which at that time could not be resolved within the framework of a scientific approach. Analysis of the political component of the confrontation led the author to the idea that all conflicts were in one way or another connected with the struggle of Soviet ideologists against T.D. Lysenko, and more broadly, with their struggle against the teachings of Lamarck. The fight against Lamarckism was an international trend in the 20th century. In the USSR, it was justified by the need for consensus with Western science and, under this slogan, it was carried out by party ideologists, starting from the mid-1920s, and continued in the pre- and post-war times, ending with the “victory” over the pseudoscientific obsession in biology by the mid-1960s. The reasons for such a long and persistent struggle against Soviet Lamarckism were associated with the personality of Stalin. By his convictions, he was a Lamarckist and therefore defended Michurin’s biology, seeing in it a further development of Lamarck’s teachings. It is possible that this struggle against Soviet Lamarckism on the part of ideologists actually had Stalin as its addressee.© A.I. Shatalkin, text, illustrations, 2016© Partnership of Scientific Publications KMK, edition, 2016