Conducted by: Luboš Studený
Interview with: Doc. Ing. Fedor Gál, DrSc. (* 20. 03. 1945 Terezín)
Date: Februar 16, 2023, Praha
An interview with Fedor Gál maps his journey from a chemical factory through studies to a scientific career in the field of social sciences and forecasting. He describes his experiences working in research institutes in socialist Czechoslovakia, and how he eventually became a freelance scientist. He recalls his collaboration with figures such as Miloš Zeman, Martin Potůček, and Pavol Frič, as well as a number of other prominent figures in the social sciences. He evaluates the difficult efforts to create forecasting models in socialist Czechoslovakia. He gradually moved from systems theory to the so-called problem-oriented participatory approach to forecasting. He reconstructs several of his foreign contacts, access to foreign literature, and the possibility of publishing in foreign journals. Gál was significantly involved in activities such as the “Bratislava nahlas” initiative, the Verejnosť proti násiliu movement, and co-founded the CET 21 company.