What if Lutfi Zade dies tomorrow? The reason I ask is because I watched a TV interview with him the other day. It was dated 2008, but felt new.
Zade, a renowned scholar who invented fuzzy logic, is forced to be Azerbaijani. Why I say forced: Zade is a man of several various identities. He speaks many languages (English, Russian, Farsi etc.), but Azerbaijani is not one of them. However, the ruling elite in Azerbaijan believes he is Azerbaijani because it falls into their patriotic discourse. Zade does not mind, although I never heard him making such a statement. Let’s suppose he is.
I repeat again, what happens if he dies? The question is important because Lutfi Zade is the only living world-renowned Azerbaijani scientist.
What will be the fate of Azerbaijani science? What will happen to his legacy?
Zade gave the answer to this question himself in his famous TV interview. He said he would leave everything he had, in terms of science of course, to Rafig Aliyev. Mirshahin, the infamous Azerbaijani journalist, and one of the supporters of the authoritarian regime, responded: “Let’s not talk about sad things.”
Yes it is sad indeed, but not only because Zade is going to die one day. We all are going to die. The saddest thing is that Rafig Aliyev was kicked out of his job at the State Oil Academy because he was outspoken and criticized Azerbaijani government for its poor democracy records. That is how the prominent scholar, the heir of the only world-renowned Azerbaijani scientist, ended up on the black list.
Don’t you think it is wrong? Instead of creating opportunities for more scholars and scientists in Azerbaijan, we claim the one, who does not even owe this country his success, and we destroy the ones, who might have a shot at success. Instead of taking care of things and people around us, in our neighborhood, in our vicinity, we get ecstatic about heroes that we did not create.
So I guess the real question is, if Lutfi Zade dies tomorrow, will Azerbaijani science die with him?
