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Lev Vygotsky is much revered by those interested in psychology, pedagogics and art. His colleagues called him a Mozart of psychology, ranking him alongside Sigmund Freud and William James. The founder of the study of artificial intelligence lived in Gomel from the age of 1, which shaped his scientific personality.
Mozart
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n November 17th, 1896, Lev was the second child born to theVygodsky family, in Orsha. Interestingly, he changed the ‘d’ to a ‘t’ in adulthood, inspired by a desire to emphasise that his family never sought out advantages [‘Vygodsky’ is based on ‘vygoda’ which means ‘benefit’ in Russian — editor]. The family moved to Gomel just before his first birthday, settling inGinzburg’s house (where they rented a flat) in the centre of Gomel. It now houses the regional philharmonic orchestra. I learnt about Vygotsky around five years ago, at Gomel’s FrantsiskSkorina State University. It was hosting a scientific-practical conference devoted to Lev’s works. Those present were proud to note that he was their countryman, living and working in Gomel — although he is mentioned as a Soviet scientist in encyclopaedia. Some time later, I met Anatoly Kuzmich (now dead) who prepared the
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of psychology first exposition devoted to the scientist at Gomel’s Vygotsky Pedagogical College; the educational establishment was named after the brilliant scientist back in 1996. He happily shared his finds with me, saying, “We have theatrical posters from those times, as well as invitation cards to hear Vygotsky’s report and a report on the decision to establish a laboratory at our Pedagogical School — now known as a college.”
Coming to see the exhibition, I hear of two British tourists who were very surprised to see Mr. Vygotsky’s portrait and to learn that he worked at Gomel’s College. His early life saw him graduate from the Ratner Men’s Gymnasium, with honours, gaining entry to Moscow University’s Medical Department. However, he switched to law within a single month and his passion for philosophy and literature later guided him to the Shanyavsky People’s University in Moscow (known for its strong lecturing approach). It employed such legends as Timiryazev, Vernadsky, Chebyshev, Zelinsky, Blonsky and Gotie. In this way, Vygotsky began to study psychology... Like others students in need of money, he combined his studies with a job at a small magazine, working as t e c h n i c a l s e c r e t a r y. This inspired him to review new books and to write his critique o n S h a k e s p e a r e ’s Hamlet. Later, famous