Bentsion Fleishman

Bentsion Fleishman (Флейшман, Бенцион Шимонович, born 21 November 1923) is a Russian scientist in the field of mathematical statistics, combinatorial analysis and their applications, doctor of physical and mathematical sciences, professor, author of constructive information theory and the theory of potential efficiency. Fleishman was born in Moscow. In 1947, he graduated from the Moscow State University, the Department of Probability Theory, headed by A. N. Kolmogorov and was sent to work in the cryptographic service of the Ministry of State Security of the USSR. After his discharge in 1954, he worked at the institutes of the USSR Academy of Sciences: the Institute of Radio Engineering and Electronics (1955–1968) and the Institute of Oceanology (1968–1996).

Potential efficiency theory is a synthesis of reliability theory, information theory and game theory, the successor of cybernetics, aiming at biological and engineering systems on general conceptual and mathematical basis. Its main concept – efficiency – is defined as the probability to achieve the goal with limited resources. Other fundamental concepts are purposeful choice and probabilistic feasibility of engineering systems. The theory was first formulated in his book Elements of the Theory of Potential Efficiency of Complex Systems (1971).

Fleishman wrote more than a hundred scientific articles and five books. From 1966 to 1996, he was the head of the cybernetics and environmental problems section of the Scientific and Technical Society of Radio Engineering, Electronics and Communications. After moving to the US in 1996, he worked on applications of potential efficiency theory and became a member of the International Society for Risk Analysis.