Lutfi Zade: Azerbaijani genius of world importance. Lutfi Zade: an Azerbaijani genius of world significance What is written in the letter of testament presented to you

"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 neoclassical white marble temple stands proudly. Located 10 kilometers east of the city of Regensburg, this copy of the Athenian Parthenon houses the Hall of Fame of prominent historical figures belonging to the Germanic civilization. Therefore, this hall, opened in 1842, was named, respectively - Valhalla. According to ancient Germanic mythology, Valhalla was the posthumous habitat of heroes who fell in battle, brought there by warlike Valkyrie maidens.

In the majestic hall of Valhalla, busts and memorial plaques are collected, perpetuating the memory of almost 200 famous representatives of the German 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, there are the names of many great representatives, I will not be afraid to say, of world culture, i.e. science and art, as well as religion, politics and military affairs. Here are Bach, and Beethoven, and Mozart, and 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 everyone.

And right there are busts of the Russian Empress Catherine II, field marshals of the Russian army Minich, Barclay de Tolly and Dibich-Zabalkansky! But this is already interesting. After all, these latter devoted their entire conscious life to the service of the Russian Empire. Why did the pragmatic Germans decide to immortalize them in Valhalla? Because they were all of German origin. And it does not matter that by their accomplishments they did not bring direct benefit or benefit to Germany itself, or rather, 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 quite enough to make every German proud of them.

The hall also presents prominent figures of Holland, the Czech Republic and England, who had a "German" origin. And they worked outside of Germany or Austria. And they spoke and created not in German. But they are Germans, and that says it all.

Why all this? And to the fact that in recent days a wide discussion has unfolded in our country about the desire of the world-renowned scientist of Azerbaijani origin, Lutfi Zadeh, to be buried after his death in his homeland, in Azerbaijan. According to the media, this was stated by his son Norman Zadeh. One might think, what is this? Any person wants to rest in his native land. After all, it was in Baku that Lutfi Zadeh was born and lived for the first 12 years of his life. Namely, at this time, the character and foundations of the worldview of any person are formed. And Lutfi Zade always said in his interviews that it was the years spent in Baku that had a significant and lasting impact 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 pin up somehow a person whom they would otherwise not reach. And the old tried and tested methods of nationalist propaganda went into action. Say, what did Lutfi Zadeh do for Azerbaijan to bury him here? He doesn't even know the Azeri 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 it measured? Is it really necessary to sit here and shout out some pseudo-patriotic slogans in your native language in order to have the right to be buried in your homeland? Who will understand us then in the world? Does the geography of great achievements matter in determining the merits of this or that figure?

Let's 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. Were their successes not the successes of Azerbaijan? Were we not 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 already in the independent Russian Federation. And what, we became less proud of him? And didn't thousands of people gather for his funeral, which took place in his homeland, which he loved so dearly?

Aren't we proud of the achievements of General Kerim Kerimov, who for a quarter of a century was the chairman of the USSR State Commission on manned space flights? Kerimov was one of the founders of the Soviet space program and made a significant contribution to space exploration. All his achievements went to the benefit of the space program of the Soviet Union, and hence the progress of the space field in general. In 2007, the post of already independent Azerbaijan issued a stamp dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Kerim Kerimov. Maybe not worth it, right? After all, if we follow the logic of these same leavened patriots, what exactly did this outstanding scientist do for his historical homeland?

There is another side to this as well. Some people may not like my words. But don't we feel embarrassed and often ashamed of the fact that in the same Russia our fellow tribesmen are mostly known as merchants in the markets? After all, it is unpleasant for us when the same Russians see in every Azerbaijani, to put it mildly, a shopkeeper. So why don't we want to be proud of the fact that there are outstanding artists and scientists abroad who represent our nation with honor?

In America, fortunately, there are no markets filled with Azerbaijanis. More often than not, they do not know about our country at all. And therefore they are talking about Azerbaijan, i.e. Americans will be judged precisely 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 have no right to be wasteful when it comes to our history, our memory, our culture. And if we talk about science, how many world-famous scientists do we have. Yusif Mammadaliyev, Azad Mirzajanzade and… Lutfi Zade. Let our other scientists not be offended, but the 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 full text search engine for scientific publications), Lutfi Zadeh's work has been cited 177,934 times so far. 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, and also the theory of verbal calculations and representations (computing with words and perceptions). All his works were fundamental for the development of computer technology on a global scale.

Once again, let us repeat the hackneyed truth that science is supranational. Was Newton's theory of gravitation somehow particularly English? Or was Einstein's theory of relativity German, or perhaps Jewish?

By the way, the main work of Sir Isaac Newton "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" in the original was called "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" and was written in Latin! That's supranationality for you. 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 offspring is science, and culture in general, like conscience, is supranational, it is the integration of all truths in all ages and it is impossible to single it out on a national basis. But it is possible to talk about the national or ethnic affiliation of the bearers of this universal human mind, and on this basis to argue your contribution to world culture.

Today we strive for the image of a civilized (ie, cultural) state. However, the path to civilization passes only through the common culture of all mankind (all nations and peoples). We 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 human civilizational foundation, is worthy of our respect, and our admiration, and our gratitude. Just for what they are. And Lutfi Zade is in this row.

The isolation of each people, in the negative sense, i.e. his alienation from all others and isolation in himself, in essence, is, with the modern progress of science, physically impossible. Therefore, to operate with the concepts of ethnic nationalism and leavened patriotism in relation to representatives of world culture is not only wrong, but also harmful. Moreover, it sends an absolutely wrong message to our younger generation, which in this case will consider that it is enough to shout loudly about love for the motherland in their own native language to be worthy of all respect. And 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 the last. There is such a thing 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 Zade expressed, according to his son, the desire to be buried in Azerbaijan after death, and we should all treat this with respect, no matter what assessment his activities would be given. The same Albert Einstein, not perceiving any form of personality cult, forbade a magnificent burial with loud ceremonies, for which he wished that the place and time of the burial were not disclosed. His relatives and friends, probably, could 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 a 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 question of returning to his homeland. Therefore, he was buried in his beloved Venice in the cemetery of San Michele, where Diaghilev and Stravinsky already rested. Could, probably, also not take into account his unspoken, but obvious desire. But they did. Out of respect for memory.

Nor should we refuse a world-famous scientist who is still quite alive in his last request. Moreover, this desire of his once and for all puts an end to all discussions and disputes regarding his nationality. After all, this is a great honor for Azerbaijan. Like any real scientist, Lutfi Zadeh is a man of the world. He is not constrained by ethnic or national boundaries. And yet he wants, even after death, but 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 rest in his native land. Shame on you guys, shame on you!

Last year the world lost a great scientist. September 6, 2017 passed away 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 Aleskerzade. February 4, 1921 in the family of a journalist Ragima Aleskerzade and pediatrician Fanny Korenman"The Einstein of Modernity" 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 the instructions of the weekly Iran. This trip became fateful for him, it was in Baku that he met his soul mate, Fanny Korenman, a student at the medical institute. By the way, Fanny moved to Baku from Odessa during the Jewish pogroms. Until the 4th grade, Lutfi Zadeh studied at the 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 of Tehran University.

Lutfi Zadeh

A little about personal...

Lutfi Zade met his future wife at school. His chosen one was Fanya Zand(after marriage Faye 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 Zade, who continued the work of her grandfather and became a journalist. And son Norman Zadeh became a specialist in theoretical computer science, but at the same time he is the author of a poker manual. In addition, Norman Zade owns a magazine for men "Perfect 10". Both now live in the US.

Fanya Zand and Lutfi Zade

Couples like Fei and Lutfi are said to be "destined to be together". The wife even dedicated an entire biographical book to her husband "Life and Travels with the Father of Fuzzy Logic", in which the life of the great scientist is described in detail and in detail, a kind of autobiographical portrait.

Despite the fact that Lutfi Zadeh was a great scientist, he played tennis quite well and was very fond of taking pictures. A kind of hobby, and he photographed only friends and people close to him, among whom were: American presidents Roosevelt and Nixon, Shah of Iran Muhammad 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 barbecue.

“I am honored to speak about such a great man. We always knew that just to be near him is already a holiday. Remembering him, I can say that he was focused on science all his life. The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Lutfi Zade 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 was very fond of taking pictures. Although I can’t even call it a hobby, he just had a pronounced artistic taste. But in the last years of his life, he even abandoned this, devoting himself entirely to science and students. At 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 once again, 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 Zade called, he always asked specific questions, was interested and said goodbye,” she says.

The name of the great scientist comes from the USA

Closer to 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 enters the magistracy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, then for graduate school at Columbia University. After he receives a position at the University of California. Berkeley becomes his permanent residence.

World science today knows six fundamental scientific theories Lutfi Zadeh. He is the creator fuzzy logic theory, and published his first work on fuzzy set theory in 1965. In the same year, after a long absence, he arrived in Baku, where he received the title of honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. He later introduced the theory of verbal computations and representations. In 1992, within the framework of the International Symposium on Robotization and Manufacturing (ISAAM), Lutfi Zadeh was awarded the title "Father of Fuzzy Logic". He has also received honorary doctorates from prestigious universities in 25 countries and is a member of many national academies of sciences. In addition, scientific schools and laboratories named after Lutfi Zade operate in a number of countries. The greatest number of references in the world is made to the works of this great man.

His theory is widely used by large corporations, among which 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, driving vehicles, etc. For example, cement and blast furnaces based on fuzzy logic are produced in Denmark. 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. The second time Lutfi Zadeh visited Baku was in December 2008. And for the third time he returned to his homeland forever in 2017. On September 29, the scientist was buried on the Alley of Honor. A month before, 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 granted.

“The scientific community of Azerbaijan suffered a heavy loss. On September 6, 2017, at the age of 97, an 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 in the obituary, which was signed by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, his wife Mehriban Aliyeva and other representatives of the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including: Artur Rasizade, Ogtay Asadov, Ramiz Mehdiyev, Elchin Efendiyev, Hajibala Abutalibov, Akif Alizade, Mikayil 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 Zade, 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 the recipient of an international award BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards awarded by the organization in conjunction with the Higher Council for Scientific Research.

Prepared Tatyana Alekperova

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(2004)
Lotfi Zadeh
Lotfi Zadeh

Name at birth:	Lutfali Rahimoglu Askerzade
Occupation:	mathematics (founder of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic), electrical constructions (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:	Öhringen Medal (1976)

Biography

After graduation, he worked with his father as a supplier of building materials for the American troops stationed in Iran, moved to the United States in July 1944 and entered in September (received a master's degree in electrical engineering in 1946). Lotfi Zadeh's parents at that time lived in New York (his mother worked as a doctor), where he entered the graduate school of 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).

Contribution to science

He published a seminal work on fuzzy set theory in 1965, in which he outlined the mathematical apparatus of fuzzy set theory. 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. learning with words and perceptions ).

Awards

Family

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Notes

Literature

Lotfi Zadeh: From computing with numbers to computing with words - from manipulation of measurements to manipulation of perceptions in International Journal of Applied Math and Computer Science, pp. 307–324, vol. 12, no. 3, 2002.
Fay Zadeh. My life and travels with the father of fuzzy logic. TSI Press: Albuquerque, 1998 (in Russian: Life and travels with the father of fuzzy logic from Fei Zadeh. Baku: Chashyoglu, 2001).

An excerpt characterizing Lotfi Zadeh

Princess Mary begged her brother to wait another day, saying that she knew how unhappy her father would be if Andrei left without reconciling with him; but Prince Andrei answered that he would probably soon come again from the army, that he would certainly write to his father, and that now the longer he stayed, the more this dissension would be aggravated.
— Adieu, Andre! Rappelez vous que les malheurs viennent de Dieu, et que les hommes ne sont jamais coupables, [Farewell, Andrei! Remember that misfortunes come from God and that people are never to blame.] were the last words he heard from his sister when he said goodbye to her.
“So it should be! - thought Prince Andrei, leaving the alley of the Lysogorsky house. - She, a miserable innocent creature, remains to be eaten by an old man who has gone out of his mind. The old man feels that he is guilty, but he cannot change himself. My boy is growing and enjoying a life in which he will be the same as everyone else, deceived or deceiving. I'm going to the army, why? - I don’t know myself, and I want to meet the person whom I despise in order to give him the opportunity to kill me and laugh at me! And before there were all the same conditions of life, but before they all knitted together, and now everything crumbled. Some meaningless phenomena, without any connection, one after another presented themselves to Prince Andrei.

Prince Andrei arrived at the main army quarters 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, seeking to join the first army, from which - as they said - they were cut off by a large force 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 even 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 whole huge number of generals and courtiers who were with the army were located in a circle of ten miles around the best houses of the villages, on this and on the other side of the river. Barclay de Tolly stood four versts from the sovereign. He received Bolkonsky dryly and coldly and said in his German reprimand that he would report on him to the sovereign to determine his appointment, and for the time being asked him to be at his headquarters. Anatole Kuragin, whom Prince Andrei hoped to find in the army, was not here: he was in St. Petersburg, and Bolkonsky was pleased with this news. The interest of the center of the huge war that was being carried out occupied Prince Andrei, and he was glad for a while to be freed from the irritation that the thought of Kuragin produced in him. During the first four days, during which he did not demand 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 idea about him. But the question of whether this camp is profitable or disadvantageous remained unresolved for Prince Andrei. He had already managed to deduce from his military experience the conviction that in military affairs the most thoughtfully considered plans mean nothing (as he saw it in the Austerlitz campaign), that everything depends on how one responds to unexpected and unforeseen actions of the enemy, that everything depends on how and by whom the whole thing is conducted. In order to clarify this last question for himself, Prince Andrei, using his position and acquaintances, tried to understand the nature of the management of the army, the persons and parties participating in it, and deduced for himself the following concept of the state of affairs.
When the sovereign was still in Vilna, the army was divided into three: 1st army was under the command of Barclay de Tolly, 2nd under the command of Bagration, 3rd 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, under the sovereign personally there was no headquarters of the commander-in-chief, but there was the headquarters of the imperial main apartment. Under him was the chief of the imperial headquarters, the quartermaster general Prince Volkonsky, generals, adjutant wing, diplomatic officials and a large number of foreigners, but there was no army headquarters. In addition, without a position with the sovereign were: Arakcheev - a former Minister of War, Count Benigsen - the eldest of the generals, Grand Duke Tsarevich Konstantin Pavlovich, Count Rumyantsev - Chancellor, Stein - a former Prussian minister, Armfeld - a Swedish general, Pfuel - the main compiler campaign plan, Adjutant General Pauluchi, a native of Sardinia, Wolzogen, and many others. Although these persons were without military positions in the army, they had influence by their position, and often the corps chief and even the commander in chief did not know what Benigsen, or the Grand Duke, or Arakcheev, or Prince Volkonsky was asking or advising for. and did not know whether such an order in the form of advice was issued from him or from the sovereign and whether it was necessary or not to execute it. But this was an external situation, but the essential meaning of the presence of the sovereign and all these persons, from the court point (and in the presence of the sovereign, everyone becomes courtiers), was clear to everyone. He was as follows: the sovereign did not assume the title of commander in chief, but disposed of all the armies; the people around 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 he was a good general, useful for advice and in order to have him always ready to replace Barclay. The Grand Duke was here because it pleased him. The former minister, Stein, was there because he was useful for advice, and because Emperor Alexander highly valued his personal qualities. Armfeld was a bitter hater of Napoleon and a self-confident general, which always had an influence on Alexander. Pauluchi was here because he was bold and resolute in his speeches, the adjutant general was here because they were everywhere where the sovereign was, and, finally, - most importantly - Pfuel was here because he, having drawn up a plan of war against Napoleon and forcing Alexander believe in the expediency of this plan, led the whole cause of the war. Under Pfule there was Wolzogen, who conveyed Pfuel's thoughts in a more accessible form than Pfuel himself, a sharp, self-confident to the point of contempt for everything, an armchair theorist.
In addition to these named persons, Russians and foreigners (especially foreigners, who, with the courage characteristic of people in their activities among a foreign environment, every day offered new unexpected thoughts), there were many more persons of secondary importance who were with the army because their principals were here.
Among all the thoughts and voices in this vast, restless, brilliant and proud world, Prince Andrei saw the following, sharper divisions of directions and parties.
The first party was: Pfuel and his followers, war theorists who believe that there is a science of war and that this science has its own immutable laws, the laws of oblique movement, detour, etc. Pfuel and his followers demanded a retreat into the interior of the country, deviations from the exact laws prescribed by the imaginary theory of war, and in any deviation from this theory they saw only barbarism, ignorance or malice. German princes, Wolzogen, Wintzingerode and others, mostly Germans, belonged to this party.
The second batch 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, ever since Vilna, had demanded an offensive against Poland and freedom from all plans drawn up in advance. In addition to the fact that the representatives of this party were representatives of bold actions, they were at the same time representatives of nationality, as a result of which they became even more one-sided in the dispute. These were Russians: Bagration, Yermolov, who was beginning to rise, and others. At this time, the well-known joke of Yermolov was widespread, as if asking the sovereign for one favor - his promotion to the Germans. The people of this party said, recalling Suvorov, that one should not think, not prick a card with needles, but fight, beat the enemy, not let him into Russia and not let the army lose heart.

O.BULANOVA

On February 4, 1921, in the village of Novkhani, in an intelligent family, where his father was a journalist and his mother was a pediatrician, the genius of world science Lutfi Rahim oglu Aleskerzade (February 4, 1921 - September 6, 2017) was born. He had such a name in his passport, but the whole world knows him as Lutfi Zadeh.

He is Doctor of Mathematical Sciences, Professor, founder of the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic. His revolutionary theory destroyed the two-valued logic of Aristotle, which had existed for more than two thousand years. In total, he presented world science with five fundamental theories. These theories were used in economics, psychology, linguistics, politics, philosophy, sociology, religious issues, in conflict situations. Those. in areas very far from mathematics.

For several years, Lutfi Zadeh studied at the 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 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. While still in college, Lutfi Zadeh meets his first and lifelong love, Fanya Zand (married Fay 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 for Tehran after the Nazis came to power. Lutfi and Fei have been together since high school. Lutfi Zadeh himself said that he had two beloved women - science and Fay. In 1944, Lutfi Zadeh left for the United States, in 1946 he graduated from the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in electrical engineering with a master's degree.

In 1949 (at the age of 28) he received a Ph.D. degree, in 1957 he became a professor. The first significant scientific work of Lutfi Zadeh was a dissertation on the frequency analysis of non-stationary circuits. In it, he introduced the concept of a non-stationary transfer function, which subsequently received numerous applications in the analysis of non-stationary linear systems. This brought Lutfi Zadeh his first international recognition.

In 1950, together with J. Ragazini, he proposed an interesting generalization of the Wiener theory of prediction. This work has found application in the design of filters with a finite memory and is now considered classical. Then in 1952, again together with G. Ragazini, he developed the z-transform method for discrete systems.

This method has also become a classic. In 1953, Lutfi Zade developed a new approach to nonlinear filtering and built a hierarchy of nonlinear systems based on the Volterra-Wiener representation. Thus, the foundations for designing optimal nonlinear processors for detecting useful signals in noise were laid.

In 1959 Lutfi Zadeh moved to California and began working in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. During this time, his scientific interests were mainly focused on the theory of linear systems and the theory of automatic control. An important result was the book “The Theory of Linear Systems (State Space Method)” published in 1963 in collaboration with Ch. Dezoer, which outlined a qualitatively new approach to the theory of linear systems. The ideas from this work have become 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, the theory of automatic control 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 in the journal Information and Control the main work of his life - a seminal article on fuzzy sets: Fuzzy Sets. This work, which is of great historical significance, gave impetus to a new scientific direction, which caused a powerful resonance throughout the world.

The main idea of Lutfi Zade 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 the analysis of reasoning and modeling of complex humanistic systems, the behavior of which is described by linguistic rather than numerical variables.

The impetus for this discovery was the realization of the gap between the accuracy of mathematics and the inaccuracy of the real world. Lutfi Zade proved that, unlike mathematics, where classes are assumed to have clear boundaries, a person is unlimited in his feelings and perception of the world. This understanding allowed him to create the mathematics of infinity and diversity.

So, along with the El-Kharezm algebra, a fuzzy algebra appears - the algebra of Lutfi Zadeh. 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 1960s and 1970s, Lutfi Zadeh's unorthodox ideas met with a very wary and sometimes cold reception in various scientific circles, especially among "pure" mathematicians.

However, the practical potential of fuzzy set theory and fuzzy logic, their ability to model flexible and imprecise constraints, partial manifestation of properties, and a smooth transition from one situation to another attracted a whole army of applied scientists to this area.

Especially in fuzzy control models that have found the widest industrial application, ranging from household appliances (vacuum cleaners, washing machines with fuzzy logic) to the management of complex technological processes (blast furnace process control, nuclear power units) and dynamic objects (subway trains, cars, helicopters, robots, etc.). In the future, the theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy logic received a truly worldwide recognition. Much credit for this belongs to Lutfi Zadeh himself.

In addition to his full-time job at Berkeley, he has served for many years as a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, IBM's San Jose Research Laboratory, and Stanford University. He has lectured 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 Zade was one of the few 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, one should note “Fundamentals of a new approach to the analysis of complex systems and decision-making processes”, “The concept of a linguistic variable and its application to making approximate decisions”, “Fuzzy sets as the basis of possibility theory”.

In the first two works, he introduced and described the concept of a linguistic variable, considered the ways of its application in intelligent systems and control, formulated the ideas of control based on fuzzy logic, which were then embodied in the technology of fuzzy controllers. In the third article, which opened the first issue of the international journal "Fuzzy Sets and Systems", Lutfi Zade proposed a variant of the calculus of uncertainties based on a non-additive measure of possibility, and, in particular, the interpretation of a fuzzy set as a distribution function of possibilities.

Unlike a 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 appearance of a particular clear event. In fact, this is a method of quantitative description (representation of meaning) of expert judgments, which is a generalization of interval analysis and error theory.

In the 1980s, Lutfi Zadeh continued to work actively on the development of fuzzy logic and possibility theory, as well as their application in intelligent systems.

Thus, in the article “The Role of Fuzzy Logic in Uncertainty Management in Expert Systems”, he described a method for applying fuzzy logic in the interests of representing inaccurate information and built a number of inference rules based on combining evidence. Then he writes a number of works devoted to the modeling of common sense reasoning, soft computing.

In addition to soft computing, in the 90s, Lutfi Zadeh's interests were connected with the development of a methodology for computing with words, as well as a computational theory of perceptual evaluations. The viability of any theory is largely determined by its evolutionary potential, the possibility of expanding its basic concepts and constructions, as well as the emergence of new approaches adjacent to this theory, and sometimes even competing with it.

Lutfi Zadeh is a world-famous scientist, lifelong professor at the University of Berkeley, member of the IEEE, American Association for Artificial Intelligence AAAI, ACM, Austrian Society for Cybernetic Research, member and honorary member of many academies, honorary doctor of many universities in various countries. His name is inscribed in golden letters in the world history of scientific discoveries.

Lutfi Zadeh is the winner of a whole constellation of the most prestigious international awards, the owner of the highest awards, including Azerbaijani ones.

As a person, Lutfi Zadeh was very modest, possessed a rare ability to laugh at himself - a caricature made of himself hung on the door of his office. His modesty did not extend only to science: in science he was bold and daring.

Lutfi Zade glorified Azerbaijan, and no matter how pathetic it may sound, Azerbaijan can rightfully be proud that it has such a son.

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Earlier, the world famous scientist Lutfi Zade bequeathed to bury himself in Azerbaijan. His testamentary letter 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 the questions of Vzglyad.az:

- What is written in the letter presented to you?

The letter says that Lutfi Zade bequeathed that after the onset of this difficult day (his death - ed.), His body would be buried in Azerbaijan. The letter was signed by Professor Lutfi Zadeh's son, Norman Zadeh. The letter also notes that the professor bequeathed to me all his awards, orders, medals and books. I already have the testamentary letter. I am a trusted person who is entrusted with the execution of the will of Professor Lutfi Zade regarding his funeral in Azerbaijan after his death. Last year he gave his son Norman and me such a mandate. At present, 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 personal belongings of the professor in this museum.

Professor Lutfi Zade sent a letter to the Presidential Administration with a request to hold his funeral in Azerbaijan. In addition, Lutfi Zade 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 afternoon meals. But when he sees me, he eats. Often I myself feed Lutfi Zadeh. I coax him like a child, I say: "You must eat this." We really want him to live. His assistant comes to him every day. It informs him about the most important e-mails incoming.

Some have spread false information that the professor supposedly 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 given to you. What is the reason that you were chosen as a confidant?

In 2009, I worked in the laboratory of Lutfi Zadeh. The late wife of Lutfi Zadeh was very close to me. And I love Norman. 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 him, interested in his condition.

- Unfortunately, there were many who criticized Lutfi Zade's will. I would like to know what you think about this.

Now he is 97 years old. He has been living here (in the USA - ed.) since the age of 23. How can you tell him why you didn't live in Azerbaijan? He cannot say this. He is a logic man. In every step, in every act, he is looking for logic. We had interesting conversations with him related to our country. Lutfi 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 Motherland!

- You noted in our conversation that Lutfi Zade 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 letters to me saying that they do not believe in this news. People are very worried about Lutfi Zade's health.

- What is the state of health of Lutfi Zade now?

When he talks, he has difficulty. The condition is normal. He goes in for sports four times a week. I am currently participating there as well. He says to me: “Shahnaz, you see, I can raise my hand, I go in for sports.” Lutfi Zadeh cannot accept his illness. He wants to live. I ask him what would he like? He replies: "Orange". We do whatever he wants. I believe he will live for a long time. Believe me, there is no shadow of death on his face.

- Son Norman is also next to his father?

Sometimes every three, and sometimes every six months, he visits his father. He is very busy. I saw him two weeks ago. Norman's lawyer is engaged in the preparation of the necessary documents. On this occasion, I spoke with our consul in America (USA - ed.). I told him that the professor was still alive.

Let me make one more point. Lutfi Zade asked me for the first time to cook Russian soup for him, and I fulfilled his desire.