Franciszek Indan Pykna (12.07.1913 – 29.01.1992) was a mathematician, philosopher and linguist of Polish nationality.
He was born in Riga, Latvia, to Polish parents, Kazimierz Indan Pykno and Benigna Norwillo. He spent his early childhood travelling with his parents through Russia, back to Poland (Kunow and Odrowaz). His family finally settled in Kowel Kovel where he went to Juliusz Slowacki high school. After graduating he moved to Vilnius in order to study at University of Stefan Batory Vilnus University.
He achieved a master degree there in 1937 with his thesis "The concept of ethical philosophy of Descartes"ELV Archives. He the became an assistant to the Philosophy department of Stefan Batory's University while working on his PhD in the subject of Ethics [1]. He was nominated as senior assistant to the department of Philosophy starting on 1 September 1939 [2], which unfortunately was the day World War 2 started and the University of Stefan Batory in Vilnus was evacuated to Poland. Most of its staff settled just after War in Torun, Poland, creating Mikolaj Kopernik University [3] there. In 1945 he worked in the department of Logic studies at the University of Mikolaj Kopernik Department of Logic, Mikolaj Kopernik Universiity as a senior assistant to professor Tadeusz Czezowski. Between 1947 and 1948 he was heading the mathematical department in the 4th College in Torun [4]. He then returned to Mikolaj Kopernik University working with professor Roman Ingarden and Tadeusz Czezowski. He started publishing his works: Revue Philosohique de la France et de l'Etranger, Pozytywizm etyczny Emila Durkheima (Emile Durkheim's ethical positivism) 1960 [5]; "Set of tasks of probability and mathematical statistics" 1962 [6]; "Cohorts method applied to arrays of elimination" 1967; "Mathematics Theory and a set of tasks" 1973 [7]. His correspondence with Tadeusz Kotarbinski (philosopher and professor of University of Warsaw) can be found in the archives of Archives of Janina and Tadeusz Kotarbinski, 1962 [8] Franciszek Indan were also a board member of the Polish Society of Mathematics from 1971 to 1981 [9]. His works are available on line from Twardowski Digital Archives http://www.elv-akt.net/informations/actualites.php?id_actualite=19&langue=en
He was married to Zofia Siemaszko with who he had five children.