“We don’t need enemies... we will destroy ourselves” (Sabir)
On the high green bank of the Danube, where the majestic river flows through German Bavaria, a white marble temple in the neoclassical style stands proudly. This replica of the Athenian Parthenon, located 10 kilometers east of the city of Regensburg, houses the Hall of Fame of outstanding historical figures belonging to the Germanic civilization. That is why this hall, opened in 1842, was named, respectively, Valhalla. According to ancient German mythology, Valhalla was the posthumous habitat of heroes killed in battle, brought there by warlike Valkyrie maidens.
The majestic Hall of Valhalla contains busts and plaques commemorating almost 200 of the most famous representatives of the Germanic world. Why do I use the expression “German world”, you ask, dear readers, and not just Germany or the Germans. Among the people glorified in Valhalla are the names of many great representatives, dare I say, of world culture, i.e. science and art, as well as religion, politics and military affairs. Here are Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Leibniz, Gauss, Kepler, Kant, Schiller, Paracelsus and King Frederick the Great, Bismarck, Konrad Adenauer, Einstein, and many other figures who have become the treasure of all mankind. You can't list them all.
And right there are busts of the Russian Empress Catherine II, field marshals of the Russian army Minich, Barclay de Tolly and Dibich-Zabalkansky! Now this is interesting. After all, these latter all their conscious life dedicated to service Russian Empire. Why did the pragmatic Germans decide to immortalize them in Valhalla? But because they were all of German origin. And it doesn’t matter that their achievements did not bring direct benefit or benefit to Germany itself, or more precisely, to the numerous independent German states that existed at that time. They glorified their historical homeland and its people with outstanding achievements in their new homeland. And this is enough to make every German proud of them.
The hall also presents prominent figures from Holland, the Czech Republic and England who were of “German” origin. And they worked outside of Germany or Austria. They spoke and acted not in German. But they are Germans, and that says it all.
What is all this for? And to the fact that in recent days a wide discussion has unfolded in our country about the desire of the world-famous scientist of Azerbaijani origin, Lutfi Zadeh, to be buried after death in his homeland, in Azerbaijan. This was stated by his son Norman Zadeh, according to media reports. One might think, what's wrong with that? Any person wants to rest in his native land. After all, it was in Baku that Lutfi Zadeh was born and lived the first 12 years of his life. Namely, it is at this time that the character and foundations of any person’s worldview are formed. And Lutfi Zadeh always said in his interviews that it was the years spent in Baku that had a significant and lasting influence on his thinking and worldview. There is nothing surprising in the nostalgia of an outstanding scientist for his homeland, where his parents met, where he took his first steps, where he read his first books, where he first went to school...
But no! There were still spiteful critics who decided not to miss the chance to somehow poke fun at a person whom they could not reach in any other way. And the old tried and tested methods of nationalist propaganda were used. They say, what did Lutfi Zadeh do for Azerbaijan to bury him here? He doesn’t even know the Azerbaijani language... And similar heresy.
Just think! Well, are we really smarter than the Germans, who are proud of Catherine the Great and Barclay de Tolly? And in general, what does it mean to do something for your native country? How is this measured? Is it really necessary to sit here and shout some pseudo-patriotic slogans in your native language in order to have the right to be buried in your homeland? Who in the world will even understand us then? Does the geography of great achievements matter in determining the merits of a particular figure?
Let us remember how many of our compatriots worked outside the republic for the benefit of the then common state - the Soviet Union. The whole country knew many of them by sight. Weren't their successes the successes of Azerbaijan? Weren’t we proud of their achievements, even if they were accomplished outside their small homeland...
For example, the same Muslim Magomayev spent most of his creative life in Moscow. And not only during the existence of the USSR, but also in the independent Russian Federation. So, have we become less proud of him? And didn’t thousands of people gather for his funeral, which took place in his homeland, so beloved by him?
Aren’t we proud of the achievements of General Kerim Kerimov, who was the chairman of the USSR State Commission for Manned Space Flight for a quarter of a century? Kerimov was one of the founders of the Soviet space program and made significant contributions to space exploration. All his achievements benefited the space program of the Soviet Union, and therefore the progress of the space field in general. In 2007, the post office of already independent Azerbaijan issued a stamp dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Kerim Kerimov. Maybe it wasn't worth it, huh? After all, if you follow the logic of these same leavened patriots, what did this outstanding scientist directly do for his historical homeland?
There is another side to this. Some people may not like my words. But don’t we feel awkward and often ashamed that in Russia our fellow tribesmen are mostly known as market traders? It’s unpleasant for us when the same Russians see every Azerbaijani, to put it mildly, as a shopkeeper. So why don’t we want to feel proud that there are outstanding figures of art and science abroad who honorably represent our nation?
In America, fortunately, there are no markets filled with Azerbaijanis. Most often they don’t know about our country at all. And therefore they are about Azerbaijan, i.e. Americans will be judged by Lutfi Zadeh. And this is already his greatest achievement. Moreover, if he bequeathed to bury himself in Azerbaijan, then this alone proves his attitude towards our country, which he thus allocates a place on the scientific map of the world. We must remember that Azerbaijan is a small state, and therefore we do not have the right to be wasteful when it comes to our history, our memory, our culture. And if we talk about science, then how many world-famous scientists do we have? Yusif Mamedaliev, Azad Mirzajanzadeh and... Lutfi Zadeh. Let our other scientists not be offended, but facts are a stubborn thing. Science does not and cannot have a nationality; science is a universal and universal value. And therefore, world recognition is the most important sign of the success of a scientist.
The same Lutfi Zadeh is considered one of the most cited scientists in the world. According to Google Scholar (a free search engine for the full text of scientific publications), Lutfi Zadeh's work has been cited 177,934 times to date. For reference, back in 1965, he published a fundamental work on the theory of fuzzy sets, in which he outlined the mathematical apparatus of this theory. In 1973, he proposed the theory of fuzzy logic, later the theory of soft computing, as well as the theory of verbal computing and perceptions. All his works were fundamental for the development of computer technology on a global scale.
Let us once again repeat the hackneyed truth that science is supranational. Was Newton's theory of gravity particularly English? Or was Einstein's theory of relativity German, or maybe Jewish?
By the way, Sir Isaac Newton’s main work, “The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy,” was originally titled “Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica” and was written in Latin! So much for supranationality. And the same Einstein subsequently lived and died in the United States. Like many other German scientists who emigrated from the country after the Nazis came to power.
The human mind, whose product is science, and culture in general, like conscience, is supranational, it is the integration of all truths in all centuries and it is impossible to distinguish it on a national basis. But we can talk about the national or ethnic identity of the bearers of this universal human mind, and on this basis argue for our contribution to world culture.
Today we strive for the image of a civilized (i.e. cultural) state. However, the path to civilization passes only through the common culture of all humanity (all nations and peoples). We will still have to follow the path of universal human reason. And here, every representative of our people, our nation, who has made his contribution to the universal foundation of civilization, is worthy of our respect, our admiration, and our gratitude. Just because they exist. And Lutfi Zadeh is in this row.
The isolation of each people, in the negative sense, i.e. his alienation from all others and isolation into himself is essentially, with the modern progress of science, physically impossible. Therefore, using the concepts of ethnic nationalism and leavened patriotism in relation to representatives of world culture is not only incorrect, but also harmful. Moreover, this gives an absolutely wrong message to our younger generation, who will then believe that it is enough to shout loudly about love for the homeland in their own native language in order to be worthy of all respect. But such an approach will never lead to progress, but, on the contrary, to regression and degradation against the backdrop of an increasingly rapidly globalizing world.
And one last thing. There is such a concept in sociology and political science as the “Overton Window”. This is the concept of having a framework of acceptable and unacceptable range of opinions in public statements from the point of view of public morality. That is, there are topics that can and should be discussed. And there are also topics that are unacceptable to discuss from an ethical point of view. Simply put, their public discussion is bad manners. So, in my opinion, it is bad form to discuss the last will of anyone. Lutfi Zadeh expressed, according to his son, a desire to be buried in Azerbaijan after his death, and we should all respect this, no matter what assessment we give to his activities. The same Albert Einstein, not accepting any form of personality cult, prohibited lavish burial with loud ceremonies, for which he wished that the place and time of the burial not be disclosed. His relatives and friends could probably arrange a public discussion and not fulfill his last will, guided by some good intentions to perpetuate his memory. But he immortalized himself with his whole life and remained in the memory of all mankind. Therefore, according to his will, in the presence of only 12 of his closest friends, his body was burned in the crematorium and the ashes were scattered to the wind.
The classic of Russian poetry Joseph Brodsky died in 1996, after the collapse of the USSR. But despite the desire of many relatives and friends to bury him in Russia, his widow considered that this would mean deciding for Brodsky the issue of returning to his homeland. Therefore, he was buried in his beloved Venice in the cemetery of San Michele, where Diaghilev and Stravinsky were already buried. They could probably also not take into account his, albeit unspoken, but obvious desire. But they took it into account. Out of respect for memory.
It would not behoove us to refuse his last request to a world-famous scientist who is still very much alive. Moreover, this desire of his once and for all puts an end to all discussions and disputes regarding his nationality. In the end, this is a great honor for Azerbaijan. Like any true scientist, Lutfi Zadeh is a man of peace. He is not constrained by ethnic or national boundaries. And yet he wants, albeit after death, to return forever to his hometown, where he first opened his eyes and whose air he first breathed. And it is indecent to question his right to eternal peace in his native land. It's a shame, gentlemen, it's a shame!
Last year the world lost a great scientist. Passed away on September 6, 2017 Lutfi Zadeh. In the world of science, the name of Lutfi Zadeh is known to everyone. But among the Azerbaijani people he is known as Lutfi Alaskerzadeh. February 4, 1921 in the family of a journalist Rahima Alaskerzade and a pediatrician Fanny Korenman The “Einstein of modern times” was born, as his fellow mathematicians would later call him.
Lutfi Zadeh's father is from the city of Arbedil and ended up in Baku during the First World War on assignment from the weekly publication Iran. This trip became fateful for him; it was in Baku that he met his soulmate, a student medical institute Fanny Korenman. By the way, Fanny moved to Baku from Odessa during the Jewish pogroms. Until the 4th grade, Lutfi Zadeh studied at a Baku Russian school, and after the family moved to Iran, he continued his studies at the American College of Tehran, and then graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Tehran.
Lutfi Zadeh
A little about personal...
Zadeh met his future wife Lutfi while still at school. His chosen one was Fanya Zand(after marriage Fay Zadeh) from a family of Dvina Jews. She ended up in Tehran after the Nazis came to power in Germany. The couple had two children: a daughter Stella Zadeh, who continued her grandfather’s work and became a journalist. And the son Norman Zadeh became a specialist in the field of theoretical computer science, but at the same time he is the author of a manual on playing poker. In addition, Norman Zade owns a magazine for men "Perfect 10". Both live in the USA today.
Fanya Zand and Lutfi Zadeh
They say about couples like Faye and Lutfi that “they were destined to be together.” The wife even dedicated an entire biographical book to her husband. "Life and Travels with the Father of Fuzzy Logic", which describes in detail the life of the great scientist, a kind of autobiographical portrait.
Despite the fact that Lotfi Zadeh was a great scientist, he played tennis quite well and loved photography. A kind of hobby, and he photographed exclusively friends and people close to him, among whom were: American presidents Roosevelt And Nixon, Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, outstanding cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and a number of famous scientists. Like all men, Lutfi Zadeh loved to eat. His favorite dishes, despite the fact that the scientist lived far from his homeland, always remained pilaf and shish kebab.
“It is a great honor for me to speak about such a great man. We always knew that just being near him was a holiday. Looking back on him, I can say that he was focused on science all his life. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Lutfi Zadeh is his genius,” said Dalma News cousin of the world famous scientist, People's Artist of the Republic of Azerbaijan, director Jannat Salimova.
According to her, he always talked about work. “Yes, he had a hobby, he really loved photography. Although I can’t even call it a hobby, he simply had a pronounced artistic taste. But in the last years of his life, he abandoned even this, completely devoting himself to science and students. In Berkeley, he had his own department at the university, where he taught, and of course, a lot of students,” she recalls.
Jannat Salimova says that Lutfi Zadeh’s relatives and friends tried to protect his personal space, did not disturb him again, and did not distract him from work. “That is why we did not have endless conversations with him, he constantly worked, he devoted himself to science. If Lutfi Zadeh called, he always asked specific questions, was interested and said goodbye,” she says.
The name of the great scientist comes from the USA
Towards the end of World War II, Lutfi Zadeh moved to the United States. Of course, the craving for education did not leave him, and the future genius entered the master's program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Electrical Engineering, then graduate school at Columbia University. Afterwards he gets a position at the University of California. His permanent place residence becomes Berkeley.
World science today knows six fundamental scientific theories Lutfi Zadeh. He is the creator fuzzy logic theory, and he published his first work on the theory of fuzzy sets in 1965. In the same year, after a long absence, he came to Baku, where he received the title of honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. He later presented a theory of verbal computation and representation. In 1992, within the framework of the International Symposium on Robotics and Manufacturing (ISAAM), Lutfi Zadeh was awarded the title "The Father of Fuzzy Logic." He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from prestigious universities in 25 countries and is a member of many national academies of science. In addition, scientific schools and laboratories named after Lutfi Zadeh operate in a number of countries. The works of this great man are the subject of the greatest number of references in the world.
His theory is widely used by large corporations, including General Motors, Nissan, Kodak, Toshiba, Panasonic, Mitsubishi, Honda Sony and many others. The theory of fuzzy logic is used in the production of photo and video cameras, household appliances, management vehicles etc. For example, Denmark produces cement and blast furnaces, working on the basis of fuzzy logic. And in Japan, scientists created the first robot "Alter" with artificial intelligence.
On the last journey
After the scientist left his homeland, he was only able to visit Azerbaijan twice. Lutfi Zadeh visited Baku for the second time in December 2008. And for the third time he returned to his homeland forever in 2017. On September 29, the scientist was buried in the Alley of Honor. A month before this, Lutfi Zadeh sent a letter to the administration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with a request to bury him in his homeland according to Muslim customs. Of course, his wish was fulfilled.
“The scientific community of Azerbaijan has suffered a heavy loss. On September 6, 2017, at the age of 97, the outstanding scientist, professor at the University of California, USA, head of the Berkeley Initiative on the Theory of Soft Computing, honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, honorary chairman of Azerbaijani diaspora organizations in America, Lutfi Zadeh (Lutfali Rahim oglu Aleskerzadeh) died.” , said the obituary, which was signed by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mehriban Aliyeva and other representatives of the AR government, including: Artur Rasizade, Ogtay Asadov, Ramiz Mehdiyev, Elchin Efendiyev, Hajibala Abutalibov, Akif Alizadeh, Mikail Jabbarov, Ibrahim Guliyev, Rasim Aliguliyev, Telman Aliyev, Fikret Aliyev and Arif Pashayev.
Scientist Awards
In 2011, on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of Lutfi Zadeh, in accordance with the order of the President of Azerbaijan, the scientist was awarded the Order "Friendship" for his contribution to the development of science and technology, outstanding achievements in establishing intercultural dialogue. In 2016 he received a gold medal named after Nizami Ganjavi. In addition, he has a huge number of awards, including awards "Honda", "Campe de Ferrier", "Okawa", "Golden Goose", medal of honor "IEEE", as well as medals "Richard Hamming", "Rufus Oldenburger", "Egleston", "Benjamin Franklin". He is also an international award winner BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, awarded by the organization jointly with the Supreme Council of Scientific Research.
Prepared Tatyana Alekperova
O. BULANOVA
On February 4, 1921, in the village of Novkhany, in an intelligent family where the father was a journalist and the mother was a pediatrician, the genius of world science Lutfi Rahim oglu Aleskerzade (February 4, 1921 – September 6, 2017) was born. This was the name in his passport, but the whole world knows him as Lutfi Zadeh.
He is a Doctor of Mathematical Sciences, professor, founder of the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic. His revolutionary theory destroyed Aristotle's two-valued logic, which had existed for more than two thousand years. In total, he presented world science with five fundamental theories. These theories have been used in economics, psychology, linguistics, politics, philosophy, sociology, religious issues, conflict situations. Those. in areas very far from mathematics.
For several years, Lutfi Zadeh studied at a Baku Russian school. In 1931, for certain reasons, his family moved to Iran. In Tehran, Lutfi Zadeh graduated first from the American College (Alborz College) and then from the University of Tehran, receiving a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. While still in college, Lutfi Zadeh meets his first and lifelong love Fanya Zande (married Faye Zadeh), who many years later will write an autobiographical book about him, “My Life and Travels with the Father of Fuzzy Logic.”
Fey was from a family of Dvina Jews who fled Germany to Tehran after the Nazis came to power. Lutfi and Faye have been together since school. Lutfi Zadeh himself said that he has two favorite women - science and Fay. In 1944, Lutfi Zadeh left for the United States, and in 1946 he graduated with a master's degree from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering.
In 1949 (at the age of 28) he received his Ph.D. degree, and in 1957 he became a professor. The first significant scientific work Lutfi Zadeh's dissertation was devoted to the issues of frequency analysis of non-stationary circuits. In it he introduced the concept of a nonstationary transfer function, which subsequently received numerous applications in the analysis of nonstationary linear systems. This brought Lotfi Zadeh his first international recognition.
In 1950, together with G. Ragazini, he proposed an interesting generalization of Wiener’s theory of prediction. This work found application in the design of filters with finite memory and is today considered a classic. Then in 1952, again together with G. Ragasini, he developed the z-transform method for discrete systems.
This method has also become a classic. In 1953, Lutfi Zadeh developed a new approach to nonlinear filtering and built a hierarchy of nonlinear systems based on the Volterra-Wiener representation. Thus, the foundations were laid for the design of optimal nonlinear processors for detecting useful signals in noise.
In 1959, Lutfi Zadeh moved to California and began working in the electrical engineering department at the University of California at Berkeley. At this time, his scientific interests were focused mainly on the theory of linear systems and the theory of automatic control. An important result was the book “Theory of Linear Systems (State Space Method)” published in 1963, co-authored with Ch. Desoer, in which he presented a qualitative new approach in the theory of linear systems. Ideas from this work became the source of many modern approaches to systems analysis and automatic control.
In 1963-1968, Lutfi Zadeh headed the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California. By this time he was already a well-known specialist in the field of systems theory, automatic control theory and their applications. However, his inherent spirit of innovation did not allow him to rest on his laurels, and in 1965, at the age of forty-four, he published the main work of his life in the journal Information and Control - a seminal article on fuzzy sets: Fuzzy Sets. This work, of great historical significance, gave impetus to a new scientific direction, which caused a powerful resonance throughout the world.
Lutfi Zadeh's main idea was that real human reasoning, based on natural language, cannot be described within the framework of traditional mathematical formalisms. The introduction of fuzzy sets—classes with ill-defined boundaries described by membership functions (generalizing the characteristic functions of ordinary sets)—provided the basis for the development of a more flexible approach to analyzing reasoning and modeling complex humanistic systems whose behavior is described by linguistic rather than numerical variables.
The impetus for this discovery was the recognition of the gap between the accuracy of mathematics and the inaccuracy of the real world. Lutfi Zadeh proved that unlike mathematics, where classes are assumed to have clear boundaries, man is limitless in his feelings and perception of the world. This understanding allowed him to create the mathematics of limitlessness and diversity.
Thus, along with the El-Kharezm algebra, a fuzzy algebra appears - the Lutfi Zadeh algebra. This theory opened a new era in the history of the development of mathematics, cybernetics, computer science and computer technology. The article caused a huge flow of publications in the field of fuzzy mathematics. In the 60-70s, the unorthodox ideas of Lutfi Zadeh met with a very wary and sometimes cold reception in various scientific circles, especially among “pure” mathematicians.
However, the practical potential of the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic, their ability to model flexible and imprecise constraints, partial manifestation of properties, and smooth transition from one situation to another have attracted an entire army of applied scientists to this area.
Especially in fuzzy control models, which have found the widest industrial application, starting from household appliances (vacuum cleaners, washing machines with fuzzy logic) and ending with the control of complex technological processes(control of blast furnace process, nuclear power units) and dynamic objects (metro trains, cars, helicopters, robots, etc.). Subsequently, the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic received truly worldwide recognition. Much of the credit for this goes to Lutfi Zadeh himself.
In addition to his full-time work at Berkeley, he worked for many years as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at the IBM San Jose Research Laboratory, and at Stanford University. Gave lectures in France, England, Canada, Germany, Japan, China, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Romania, Hungary, Yugoslavia, USSR, Poland, Turkey, India, Brazil, Singapore, Saudi Arabia and in other countries.
Lutfi Zadeh was part of a very small cohort of pioneering scientists who generated original scientific ideas and formed new scientific directions. Almost every publication of his became an event in the scientific world. Among the most famous works of Lutfi Zadeh of the 70s, it should be noted “Fundamentals of a new approach to analysis complex systems and decision-making processes”, “The concept of a linguistic variable and its application to approximate decision-making”, “Fuzzy sets as the basis of the theory of possibility”.
In the first two works, he introduced and described the concept of a linguistic variable, considered ways of its application in intelligent systems and control, formulated control ideas based on fuzzy logic, which were then implemented in the technology of fuzzy controllers. In the third article that opened the first issue international magazine“Fuzzy sets and systems”, Lutfi Zadeh proposed a version of the uncertainty calculus based on a non-additive measure of possibility, and, in particular, the interpretation of a fuzzy set as a distribution function of possibilities.
In contrast to the fuzzy set, which expresses the inaccuracy of the assessment of some attribute, the measure of possibility describes the uncertainty, incompleteness of information associated with the occurrence of a particular clear event. In essence, this is a method of quantitative description (presentation of meaning) of expert judgments, which is a generalization of interval analysis and error theory.
In the 80s, Lutfi Zadeh continued to actively work on the problems of the development of fuzzy logic and the theory of possibilities, as well as their application in intelligent systems.
Thus, in the article “The Role of Fuzzy Logic in Managing Uncertainty in Expert Systems,” he described a method for using fuzzy logic to represent inaccurate information and constructed a number of inference rules based on combining evidence. Then he writes a number of works devoted to the issues of modeling common sense reasoning and soft computing.
In addition to soft computing, in the 90s, Lutfi Zadeh's interests were related to the development of a methodology for computing with words, as well as a computational theory of perceptual assessments. The viability of any theory is largely determined by its evolutionary potential, the possibility of expanding its basic concepts and constructs, as well as the emergence of new approaches adjacent to this theory, and sometimes even competing with it.
Lutfi Zadeh is a world-renowned scientist, lifelong professor at Berkeley University, member of IEEE, American Association of Artificial Intelligence AAAI, ACM, Austrian Society for Cybernetic Research, member and honorary member of many academies, honorary doctor of many universities. different countries. His name is inscribed in gold letters on world history scientific discoveries.
Lutfi Zadeh is the laureate of a whole constellation of the most prestigious international awards, winner of the highest awards, including Azerbaijani ones.
As a person, Lutfi Zadeh was very modest, had a rare ability to laugh at himself - on the door of his office hung a cartoon made of himself. His modesty did not extend only to science: in science he was bold and daring.
Lutfi Zadeh glorified Azerbaijan, and no matter how pretentious it may sound, Azerbaijan can rightfully be proud that it has such a son.
*All photos and images belong to their respective owners. The logo is a measure against unauthorized use.Earlier, the world famous scientist Lutfi Zadeh bequeathed to bury himself in Azerbaijan. His letter of testament was presented to his confidant, a close friend of the scientist’s family, professor of the Azerbaijan Technical University Shahnaz Shahbazova.
Shahnaz Shahbazova, who is currently in the American city of Berkeley, answered questions from Vzglyad.az:
- What is written in the letter of testament presented to you?
The letter says that Lotfi Zadeh bequeathed that after this have a hard day(his death - ed.), his body was buried in Azerbaijan. The letter was signed by the son of Professor Lutfi Zadeh - Norman Zadeh. The letter also notes that the professor bequeathed to me all his awards, orders, medals and books. I already have the letter of will. I am the authorized representative entrusted with the execution of the will of Professor Lutfi Zadeh regarding his funeral in Azerbaijan after his death. Last year he gave his son Norman and me this instruction. Currently, all these matters are entrusted to me.
In the future, we want to create a house-museum of Lutfi Zadeh in Azerbaijan. We plan to exhibit the professor’s personal belongings in this museum.
Professor Lutfi Zadeh sent a letter to the Presidential Administration with a request to hold his funeral in Azerbaijan. In addition, Lutfi Zadeh asked President Ilham Aliyev a year ago to be buried in Azerbaijan after his death.
- What is your relationship with your son Lutfi Zadeh?
Norman and I are like sister and brother. Every day I come to the professor’s house and visit him. He sometimes refuses midday meals. But when he sees me, he eats. I often feed Lutfi Zadeh myself. I persuade him like a child, saying: “You have to eat this.” We really want him to live. His assistant comes to see him every day. It informs him of the most important incoming emails.
Some spread false information that the professor had allegedly died. But this is a complete lie. He simply expressed a desire to be buried in Azerbaijan and sent a letter to the President of Azerbaijan in this regard.
- Everyone is interested that the letter of will was handed over to you. What is the reason for choosing you as a trustee?
In 2009, I worked in the laboratory of Lutfi Zadeh. My late wife Lutfi Zadeh was very close to me. And I love Norman very much. This love is mutual. But with Lutfi Zadeh we are even closer. He is like a father to me, and I am like a daughter to him. He even gave me drawings of his parents 4 years ago. I often go to see him and inquire about his condition.
- Unfortunately, there were many who criticized Lutfi Zadeh’s will. I would like to know what you think about this.
He is now 97 years old. He has lived here (in the USA - ed.) since he was 23 years old. How can you tell him why you didn’t live in Azerbaijan? You can't tell him this. He is a man of logic. In every step, in every action, he looks for logic. We had interesting conversations with him related to our country. Lotfi Zadeh loves Azerbaijan very much. He is proud to be Azerbaijani. In all his speeches, he always mentioned that he was born in Baku. Lutfi Zadeh never forgot his homeland!
- You noted in our conversation that Lutfi Zadeh addressed the head of state.
Yes, he sent a letter to the head of state. In the letter, he expressed his desire to be buried in Azerbaijan.
Since yesterday, Azerbaijanis living in America have been writing me letters in which they say that they do not believe in this news. People are very worried about the health of Lutfi Zadeh.
- What is the current state of health of Lutfi Zadeh?
When he talks, he has difficulty. The condition is normal. He goes in for sports four times a week. Currently I am also taking part there. He tells me: “Shahnaz, you see, I can raise my hand, I do sports.” Lotfi Zadeh cannot accept his illness. He wants to live. I ask him what he would like? He answers: “Orange.” We do whatever he wants. I believe that he will live for a long time. Believe me, there is not a shadow of death visible on his face.
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- Son Norman is also next to his father?
Sometimes once every three, and sometimes once every six months he visits his father. He's very busy. I saw him two weeks ago. Norman's lawyer is handling the paperwork. necessary documents. I spoke about this with our consul in America (USA - ed.). I told him that the professor was still alive.
Let me note one more point. For the first time, Lutfi Zadeh asked me to cook Russian soup for him, and I fulfilled his wish.
Material from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia
| Lotfi Zadeh | |
| Lotfi Zadeh | |
| (2004) | |
|---|---|
| Birth name: |
Lutfali Rahimoglu Askerzade / Lütfəli Rəhimoğlu Əsgərzadə |
| Type of activity: |
mathematics (founder of the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic), electrical structures (signal processes and analyzers) |
| Date of birth: | |
| Father: |
Rahim Askerzade |
| Mother: |
Feiga Moiseevna Korenman |
| Spouse: |
Fanya Zand |
| Children: |
Stella Zadeh, Norman Zadeh |
| Awards and prizes: |
Oehringen Medal (1976) |
After graduating from university, he worked with his father as a supplier of building materials to American troops stationed in Iran, moved to the United States in July 1944, and graduated in September (receiving a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1946). Lotfi Zadeh's parents lived in New York at that time (his mother worked as a doctor), where he entered graduate school at Columbia University, and after defending his dissertation in 1949, he remained there as an assistant in the engineering department. Since 1959 he has been working at the University of California (Berkeley).
He published a fundamental work on the theory of fuzzy sets in 1965, in which he outlined the mathematical apparatus of the theory of fuzzy sets. In 1973, he proposed the theory of fuzzy logic, later the theory of soft computing (eng. soft computing), as well as the theory of verbal calculations and representations (eng. computing with words and perceptions ).
Prince Andrei arrived at the army headquarters at the end of June. The troops of the first army, the one with which the sovereign was located, were located in a fortified camp near Drissa; the troops of the second army retreated, trying to connect with the first army, from which - as they said - they were cut off by large forces of the French. Everyone was dissatisfied with the general course of military affairs in the Russian army; but no one thought about the danger of an invasion of the Russian provinces, no one imagined that the war could be transferred further than the western Polish provinces.
Prince Andrei found Barclay de Tolly, to whom he was assigned, on the banks of the Drissa. Since there was not a single large village or town in the vicinity of the camp, the entire huge number of generals and courtiers who were with the army were located in a circle of ten miles along the best houses villages on this side and on the other side of the river. Barclay de Tolly stood four miles from the sovereign. He received Bolkonsky dryly and coldly and said in his German accent that he would report him to the sovereign to determine his appointment, and in the meantime he asked him to be at his headquarters. Anatoly Kuragin, whom Prince Andrei hoped to find in the army, was not here: he was in St. Petersburg, and this news was pleasant for Bolkonsky. Prince Andrei was interested in the center of the huge war taking place, and he was glad to be free for a while from the irritation that the thought of Kuragin produced in him. During the first four days, during which he was not required anywhere, Prince Andrei traveled around the entire fortified camp and, with the help of his knowledge and conversations with knowledgeable people, tried to form a definite concept about him. But the question of whether this camp was profitable or unprofitable remained unresolved for Prince Andrei. He had already managed to derive from his military experience the conviction that in military affairs the most thoughtfully thought-out plans mean nothing (as he saw it in the Austerlitz campaign), that everything depends on how one responds to unexpected and impossible-to-foresee actions of the enemy, that everything depends on how and by whom the whole business is conducted. In order to clarify this last question, Prince Andrei, taking advantage of his position and acquaintances, tried to understand the nature of the administration of the army, the persons and parties participating in it, and derived for himself the following concept of the state of affairs.
When the sovereign was still in Vilna, the army was divided into three: the 1st army was under the command of Barclay de Tolly, the 2nd army was under the command of Bagration, the 3rd army was under the command of Tormasov. The sovereign was with the first army, but not as commander-in-chief. The order did not say that the sovereign would command, it only said that the sovereign would be with the army. In addition, the sovereign did not personally have the headquarters of the commander-in-chief, but the headquarters of the imperial headquarters. With him was the chief of the imperial staff, Quartermaster General Prince Volkonsky, generals, adjutants, diplomatic officials and a large number of foreigners, but there was no army headquarters. In addition, without a position under the sovereign were: Arakcheev - a former minister of war, Count Bennigsen - the senior general of the generals, Grand Duke Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich, Count Rumyantsev - chancellor, Stein - a former Prussian minister, Armfeld - a Swedish general, Pfuhl - the main compiler campaign plan, Adjutant General Paulucci - a Sardinian native, Wolzogen and many others. Although these persons were without military positions in the army, they had influence due to their position, and often the corps commander and even the commander-in-chief did not know why Bennigsen, or the Grand Duke, or Arakcheev, or Prince Volkonsky was asking or advising this or that. and did not know whether such an order was coming from him or from the sovereign in the form of advice and whether it was necessary or not necessary to carry it out. But this was an external situation, but the essential meaning of the presence of the sovereign and all these persons, from a court point of view (and in the presence of the sovereign, everyone becomes a courtier), was clear to everyone. It was as follows: the sovereign did not assume the title of commander-in-chief, but was in charge of all the armies; the people surrounding him were his assistants. Arakcheev was a faithful executor, guardian of order and bodyguard of the sovereign; Bennigsen was a landowner of the Vilna province, who seemed to be doing les honneurs [was busy with the business of receiving the sovereign] of the region, but in essence was a good general, useful for advice and in order to always have him ready to replace Barclay. The Grand Duke was here because it pleased him. The former minister Stein was here because he was useful to the council, and because Emperor Alexander highly valued his personal qualities. Armfeld was an angry hater of Napoleon and a general, self-confident, which always had an influence on Alexander. Paulucci was here because he was bold and decisive in his speeches, the General Adjutants were here because they were everywhere where the sovereign was, and, finally, and most importantly, Pfuel was here because he, having drawn up a plan for the war against Napoleon and forced Alexander believed in the feasibility of this plan and led the entire war effort. Under Pfuel there was Wolzogen, who conveyed Pfuel’s thoughts in a more accessible form than Pfuel himself, a harsh, self-confident to the point of contempt for everything, an armchair theorist.
In addition to these named persons, Russian and foreign (especially foreigners, who, with the courage characteristic of people in activity among a foreign environment, offered new unexpected thoughts every day), there were many more minor persons who were with the army because their principals were here.
Among all the thoughts and voices in this huge, restless, brilliant and proud world, Prince Andrei saw the following, sharper, divisions of trends and parties.
The first party was: Pfuel and his followers, theorists of war, who believed that there is a science of war and that this science has its own immutable laws, laws of physical movement, bypass, etc. Pfuel and his followers demanded a retreat into the interior of the country, retreats according to the exact laws prescribed by the imaginary theory of war, and in any deviation from this theory they saw only barbarity, ignorance or malicious intent. The German princes, Wolzogen, Wintzingerode and others, mostly Germans, belonged to this party.
The second game was the opposite of the first. As always happens, at one extreme there were representatives of the other extreme. The people of this party were those who, even from Vilna, demanded an offensive into Poland and freedom from any plans drawn up in advance. In addition to the fact that the representatives of this party were representatives of bold actions, they were also representatives of nationality, as a result of which they became even more one-sided in the dispute. These were Russians: Bagration, Ermolov, who was beginning to rise, and others. At this time, Ermolov’s well-known joke was spread, allegedly asking the sovereign for one favor - to make him a German. The people of this party said, remembering Suvorov, that one should not think, not prick the map with needles, but fight, beat the enemy, not let him into Russia and not let the army lose heart.
