Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov was a reputed pedagogue,
historian and philosopher of logic with a strong interest in the methodology of
science. Smirnov, who served он the author's doctoral dissertation committee,
and with whom he worked since 1981, is remembered principally as a teacher
and historian and philosopher of logic. From the standpoint of the author
Smirnov's fundamental contribution was the re-discovery and dissemination of
the work of turn-of-the-century Kazan logician N. A. Vasil'ev, in particular of
Vasil'ev's development of non-classical logic. Smirnov was also an original
logician who worked in proof theory, especially applying to proof theory the
insights which he gleaned from his study of Vasil'ev and which he in turn
further developed as formal systems.
¶ The author writes about "Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov, as I remember
him". It was Smirnov who developed the author's interest in Vasil'iev's work in
logic, and the author gives a personalized account of Smirnov's influence on the
direction of his own work in history of logic, of the collegial and professional
relations which he developed with Smirnov, and of Smirnov as a scholar.
Personally, Smirnov was an open, benevolent individual.