Nikolai Lapin: Researcher and Science Promoter

The article briefly outlines the scientific ideas of N.I. Lapin, one of the prominent contributors to the revival of sociology in Russia in the 1960s. Over 60 years of his research activities, Lapin left a great scientific legacy in many branches of sociology, philosophy, and related sciences. This includes the sociology of organizations, the sociology of management, the sociology of innovation, the social problems of global simulation, the sociology of a crisis society and sociocultural transformation, regional social comparative studies, and the civilizational development of Russia. Many of them present a compelling author’s approach, which became the basis for the creation of several scientific areas in domestic science: the sociology of organizations, the sociology of management, the sociology of innovation, the social problems of global simulation, the sociology of a crisis society and sociocultural transformation, and regional social comparative studies. Lapin’s contribution to the institutionalization of sociology as a science within the system of social sciences in Russia is invaluable. His new theoretical approaches and solutions were at the heart of almost all the projects that he initiated and brought to life. The paper presents three projects carried out under Lapin’s scientific supervision. The first project — the earliest effort at the dawn of the revival of modern sociology in Russia — is about the social organization of an industrial enterprise and the labor of workers in automated and non-automated industries (1968-1973). The second project is about the study of the socio-cultural evolution of Russia and its regions (1990-2020). The third project, which Lapin worked on in his last years, is about the civilizational development of Russia. It summarizes his thoughts about the country’s history, development patterns, and its place on the civilizational map of the world.