Живот и дело српских научника

Abstract

Edition Lives and Work of the Serbian Scientists till now encompassed 217 Serbian scientists. It has studied the course of life and work of 72 scientists, analyzed their scientific ideas and results and disclosed their contribution to the development of scientific thought, their influence on the work of the next generations of scientists and on scientific and cultural progress as a whole. This great endeavor has practically systematically opened the history of Serbian natural sciences and matematics as new fields of study and convinced us that edition Lives and Work of the Serbian Scientists was to have appeared much earlier. But, before this great crises at the end of the XX century, it was not understood that the study of the lives and work of our scientists entailed not only the preservation of our scientific heritage, its introduction to the Serbian and international public, but also strengthening of contemporary scientific thought in Serbia. Very profound thought of Božidar Knežević convinces us in this statement: "Each science that studies and elaborates the knowledge on its past and recognise it future, creates its field. It enters with its part and at particular point in the field of philosophy, and arises to the philosophy itself. Thus, the history of science is the genuine and the highest philosophy". If philosophy, and its highest form the history of science is time conceived in thoughts, it is natural to see that time makes something darker and something brighter. Some of the portraits from the past will seem unconvincing to us. Nevertheless, brilliant and unjustly neglected different ways of acquiring spiritual richness and misjudged contributions will be found among us. There will be those that have become known for selfishly acquired social and scientific reputation and were crowned by financial gains. All this variety of life and creativeness is just a challenge to the authors who are studying lives and work of the Serbian scientists, as they will have to rise above their wishes, regrets, and prejudices and present objectively all faults and qualities of scientists they are studying. Coming close to the present times, the authors will find it even more difficult to make clear distinction between differences and aims set up for, and find adequate places for them, as social, ideological and institutional context in which the lives were studied are still alive and influential one. In that attempt the authors must show intellectual sincerity, moral strength, incorruptibility towards enrooted believes and anticipating intuition. In that way, we are able to get to know the development of a certain science and its problems, as well as history of development in certain disciplines of science. Such edition will inspire new generations and remain as an incentive for further investigation and inspiration for new discoveries. Many researches, being informed on results of some scientists, will probably arise new perspectives, new ideas, as well as the wish to put to test acquired results in modern conditions. Doing so, and reading the works of the authors in this edition, the contemporary researchers will be able to widespread their ideas and to put in the prospect of development of future science. Edition Lives and Work of the Serbian Scientists is of a great importance for young scientists who are at the threshold to address the problems of science. Fact that the problem of continuity is mostly vivid in the Serbian science and under the burden of historical occurrences that everything that was achieved by previous generations is easily forgotten, obligees us to treasure in this edition all precious data that was gathered by numerous predecessors of contemporary researchers. In that way their achievements will remain at disposal to the public as foundation and inspiration for new endeavors. When biographies and bibliographies of scientists presented in this edition are studied, a reader can not but be impressed by and proud of the creators of the Serbian science, primarily as in their scientific work enormous efforts, and persistence was built in to overcome the historical and professional discontinuity, to follow up and sometimes even to overcome the development of the European scientific thought. It should be emphasized once again that persistent intellectual effort, astonishing practical mind, whole life dedicated to science, created very impressive strong personalities that, for historically short period of time, raised up the Serbian science to the world heights. History of science must not be neglected, as it is of a paramount importance for any scientific discipline, for affirmation of the continuity of our science and culture. Many of the great Serbian scientific minds established their schools with the only purpose to gather talented young people to whom they will transfer acquired knowledge so that they could be aware of the need of continuity and contribute further to the development of scientific thought in specific fields. This should be considered as their testament to present and future generations. Academician Miloje R. Sarić