Dimitri Uznadze

Dimitri Uznadze (Georgian: დიმიტრი უზნაძე; December 2, 1886 – October 9, 1950, Tbilisi) was a famous Georgian psychologist, philosopher and public benefactor, founder of the Georgian scientific school of Psychology, co-founder of the Tbilisi State University (TSU), Academician and co-founder of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (GAS), Meritorious Science Worker of Georgia, Dr.Sci., Professor.

Dimitri Uznadze was born in 1886 to a peasant family, in the small village of Sakara in the province of Kutaisi (Western Georgia). He was expelled from Kutaisi high school for taking part in the 1905 revolution. That year he went to Switzerland and then to Germany, where he entered the philosophy faculty of Leipzig University, graduating in 1909. In 1910 he received a PhD degree at the University of Wittenberg (Halle, Germany) for his work Vladimir Solovev: His Epistemology and Metaphysics (1909). He graduated from Kharkiv University in 1913. Returning home in 1909, from then until 1917 he taught history at the Kutaisi Georgian Gymnasium, and was headmaster of the Sinatle girls' school from 1915 – 1917.

After the October Revolution, Uznadze helped establish the Tbilisi State University (TSU). Other founders of this University were outstanding Georgian scientists Ivane Javakhishvili, Ekvtime Takaishvili, Shalva Nutsubidze, Akaki Shanidze, Giorgi Akhvlediani, Andrea Razmadze, Iosif Kipshidze, Petre Melikishvili, etc. From 1918 – 1950 Uznadze was Professor and Head of the Department of Psychology of TSU.

In 1935 he received Dr.Sci. degree in Psychology (full doctor). In 1941 he co-founded the Georgian Academy of Sciences (GAS). In 1941 – 1950 he was first Director of the Institute of Psychology of the GAS (now the Uznadze Institute of Psychology). In 1946 Uznadze received title of Meritorious Science Worker of Georgia.

Main fields of scientific activity of Dimitri Uznadze were: philosophy, history of philosophy, theory of upbringing, experimental pedagogics, etc. He was also author of well-known Theory of Attitude and Set and founder of Georgian school of the psychology of pedagogics. Uznadze's main scientific works are: "Wladimir Solowjow: seine Erkenntnistheorie und Metaphysik" (a monograph, in German, Halle, 1910); "Henri Bergson" (a monograph, in Russian, Tbilisi, 1923); "Untersuchungen zur Psychologie der Einstellung" ("Acta Psychologica", Vol.IV, No.3, 1939, in German); "The Psychology of Set" (a monograph, in English, New York City, 1966); "Psychological Investigations" (In Russian, English summary, Moscow, 1966).

Uznadze died on October 9, 1950, in Tbilisi. He is buried in the garden of the Tbilisi State University.