IECOB

Prof. Dr. Vladimir N. Bryushinkin

1953-2012

It is with profound sadness that we learn that Prof. Dr. Vladimir N. Bryushinkin, Head of the Department of Philosophy at the Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University in Kaliningrad, passed away at the beginning of June, after a rapid but relentless sickness. Deeply touched for this loss, the Institute for Central Eastern and Balkan Europe wishes to express its most heartfelt condolences to Prof. Bryushinkin’s family and closest friends as well as to his University which is now missing an excellent and insightful scholar.

Prof. Bryushinkin was born in Krasnoyarsk on December 26, 1953. During his youth, he moved to Moscow, where he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University in 1977, where he got also his PhD and the Habilitation.

In 1983 he was an associate professor of the Kaliningrad State University. A brilliant scholar and philosopher, he became vice president of the Russian Kant Society in 1990 and full professor in Philosophy and Logic in 1991.

Since then he devoted his life to expand philosophical studies on Kant in Kaliningrad and at the international level. He was the promoter of 15 conferences and workshops on Kant’s philosophy from 1989 to 2004, he attended Kant conferences and Soviet-Finnish Logic colloquia and the International Kant congresses.

Repeatedly elected Head of Department of Philosophy and Logic in his University (the last time in April 2010), he served as a Vice-rector for research activities in 1999-2003.

He was also a Director of the Baltic Center of Educational and Research Programmes at the Kaliningrad State University, and actively participated to international conferences in Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, and USA, being twice a visiting professor at the University of Mainz.

He led several international research project, among those we can mention “Logic modelling of thinking: methapsychologism and its application” (1999), “Kant between West and East (2004), “Philosophical dimension of Democracy” (2001)  “The Influence of the European Philosophy on the development of Russian Philosophy” (since 2003) , “Theory of argumentation as the methodology of philosophical comparative studies” (2004-2006), “The construction of RATIO information system for the support of research in logic” (2005-2006).

During his career, he was a great teacher and unique mentor for his students.

Furthermore Prof. Bryushinkin became an active member of our Network at the end of the 90s, when we started a joint research and educational project called “Integracija”. The project, sponsored by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs”, was aimed to develop training activities for young University assistants and regional officials in Kaliningrad. Thanks to the generosity, the acute scientific inputs and the powerful energy of prof. Bryushinkin, the project was successfully implemented. Our relations strengthened in the years to come, with the mutual visits of municipality’s and regional officials in Kaliningrad and Forlì. A bilateral agreement was signed between the two cities as well as between the two Universities for the mobility of lecturers. Students from Kaliningrad State University attended successfully the Cervia International Summer School. In 2009 prof. Bryushinkin was also a visiting professor of the University of Bologna, teaching at MIREES a course on “Globalization and Identities in Eastern Europe”.

Thanks to the intensity of relations, the cooperation became an opportunity for fruitful interdisciplinary exchanges and a genuine source of friendship. Therefore, he will be remembered as an excellent scholar and a good friend by all of us.

The Institute for Central Eastern and Balkan Europe remains deeply grateful to Prof. Bryushinkin for his invaluable friendship and collaboration. We will definitely miss his contributions, feedbacks and inspirations.

Stefano Bianchini