Nobel revisionism?

[KarlGauss]

I thought that the Nobel prizes were supposed to be awarded to those people whose (scientific) efforts have led to a great improvement in the lot of humanity (or words to that effect).

In a recent Reuters story about the physics and chemistry prizes for this year there is a sentence that reads, "This year's awards stir up a few perennial Nobel issues, such as prizes for discoveries made partly by chance, and disproportionately many prizes for researchers at well-funded U.S. universities.".

Is this so? Or are these merely the uninformed ramblings of a writer who's trying to juice up his story? Is there really serious thought being given to use 'affirmative action' in the awarding of the Prize. (I can hear the judges saying, "Let's see, who's done the best for their limited funding?")

And, are serendipitous discoveries, often the stuff of great science, not worthy?

[Spiny Norman]

The "Svenska Akademiets" homepage (www.nobel.se) only deals in absolutes, as far as I can see. And old Alfred's wording is very clear:

The Nobel Foundation is established under the terms of the will of Dr. Alfred Bernard Nobel, drawn up on the 27th of November, 1895, which in its relevant parts runs as follows:

"The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest of which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows: one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics; one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement; one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine; one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency; and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses. <snip> It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not".

(Ain't that amazing - an important legal document that anyone can read and understand.)

Anyway, I guess it's very clear: The prize is awarded for "conferring benefit to mankind", no more, no less. That it should somehow be inferior to do so by accident or by putting lots of money to good use apparently wasn't on Dr. Nobel's mind when he made his will. Making sure that everyone had a fair shot at the prize obviously was.

Really, the "dissent" sounds awfully like anti-elitist sour grapes to me.

S. Norman

[Floater]

Originally posted by Spiny Norman
The "Svenska Akademiets" homepage (www.nobel.se)...

Just some wee corrections:

It's "Svenska Akademien.

However, the Academy (http://www.svenskaakademien.se/ENG/index.html) has nothing to do with Nobelstiftelsen (The Nobel Foundation http://www.nobel.se/) other than it selects the recipient of the Nobel Prize in literature, just as there are other bodies chosing other awardees (you can read about it on the Foundation's home page).

[Spiny Norman]

Floater, you're right, I stand corrected - I must've gotten lost in the links.

S. Norman

[Floater]

And BTW: The "Nobel Prize" in economics is actually called the "Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel". It was started by the Bank of Sweden for some reason and many people, myself among them, think that it should be scrapped as it has nothing whatsoever to do with the wish and will of Nobel himself.