Nobel Prize: Political stunt or the real deal?

Look, in our previous discussions, people constantly bring up the Nobel Prize as if it’s some ultimate, infallible yardstick for measuring an individual's worth or achievement. We all know the general idea behind it—what it represents and why it exists—but I’ve developed a healthy dose of skepticism regarding how the winners are actually selected. Just like anything else of this magnitude, I'm convinced there's another side to the coin that doesn't get much airtime. It would be genuinely interesting to dig deeper into the actual mechanics or the politics behind the scenes. If anyone here has any concrete insights or specific details on how these decisions are really made, I’m all ears.

The Nobel Peace Prize is nothing more than pure politics—and I’m pretty sure the Nobel Prize in Literature is just as much of a political tool. As for the others? They aren't, that's for sure.
Who actually knows anything for certain? Look, when it comes to the Nobel Prize in Physics, I can personally vouch that every single winner actually earned it—just ask any physicist.

This physicist is right on the money. Except when it comes to Woodrow Wilson and Pennies. That theorist should've walked away with it instead of those two nobodies (who were just working at Bell Labs). Everything else regarding the Nobel Prizes? Totally fine enough.

granitepilot2 said:This physicist is right on the money. Except when it comes to Woodrow Wilson and Pennies. That theorist should've walked away with it instead of those two nobodies (who were just working at Bell Labs). Everything else regarding the Nobel Prizes? Totally fine enough.

Hmm... After looking into this more closely, even I have to agree from a theorist's perspective. 😁
Here’s how they actually pick the winners:
http://nobelprize.org/nomination/physics/process.html
In this specific instance, there probably just happened to be more experimentalists than theorists in the running. Doesn't seem like the kind of "politics" the OP was hinting at.

I don't think this is the kind of "politics" the OP was actually talking about.

😁 probably 😁

this one hits us way harder 😁

Of course it’s just pure politics... the second Franjo didn't get his way, he starts crying foul, and he's only doing it because he's an American...

Linda Howard4 said:Look, in our previous discussions, people constantly bring up the Nobel Prize as if it’s some ultimate, infallible yardstick for measuring an individual's worth or achievement. We all know the general idea behind it—what it represents and why it exists—but I’ve developed a healthy dose of skepticism regarding how the winners are actually selected. Just like anything else of this magnitude, I'm convinced there's another side to the coin that doesn't get much airtime. It would be genuinely interesting to dig deeper into the actual mechanics or the politics behind the scenes. If anyone here has any concrete insights or specific details on how these decisions are really made, I’m all ears.

The question is simplistic. The award is politicized, though perhaps less so in the sciences. The biggest evidence of politics is the snubbing of Nobel Prize in Physics Pascual Jordan—and maybe even Nikola Tesla, given how awards sometimes go to developers of things like the Russian electron microscope instead.

The real issues lie elsewhere. First, certain scientific fields lack that planetary-genius status the prize carries today, which likely wasn't the original intention. Then there's the oddly defined Nobel Peace Prize, which should really focus on social transformation. Finally, there is the principle itself: rewarding contributions that happened 20 or 30 years ago. It serves as a decent test, but it frequently misses the mark.

Furthermore, brilliant individuals often miss out because their work is spread across multiple disciplines rather than hitting one singular, obvious breakthrough. Ultimately, while politicization exists, it isn't the primary flaw. The bigger issue is that the prize has gained a massive global aura while retaining enough flaws to ensure it is rarely "fair"—not necessarily in who gets it, but in who is left behind.

The Nobel Peace Prize needs to be scrapped. Just look at the track record of winners. Here’s some proof:

1973: Henry Kissinger - Absolute joke. One of the worst war criminals ever...

1979: Mother Teresa - Fine, she didn't do anything evil, but nothing great either. Spreading religion isn't exactly "peace"...

1983: Lech Wałęsa - Since when does every half-wit who starts a strike get an award like this?

1989: Dalai Lama - Just hitting up fancy parties and living like a superstar. Sure, Madonna does that too—at least she actually makes albums, this guy is more like Paris Hilton

1990: Mikhail Gorbachev - Or just any politician incompetent enough to wreck their entire country in a few years...

1994: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin: They started a war then ended it (well, they just thought about ending it). By that logic, Luđman, Šević, and Izmetbegović should have won too

2002: Jimmy Carter - Okay, this one's fine. He was an American president and didn't start a single war...

hollowgardener912 said:The Nobel Peace Prize needs to be scrapped. Just look at the track record of winners. Here’s some proof:

1973: Henry Kissinger - Absolute joke. One of the worst war criminals ever...

1979: Mother Teresa - Fine, she didn't do anything evil, but nothing great either. Spreading religion isn't exactly "peace"...

1983: Lech Wałęsa - Since when does every half-wit who starts a strike get an award like this?

1989: Dalai Lama - Just hitting up fancy parties and living like a superstar. Sure, Madonna does that too—at least she actually makes albums, this guy is more like Paris Hilton

1990: Mikhail Gorbachev - Or just any politician incompetent enough to wreck their entire country in a few years...

1994: Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, Yitzhak Rabin: They started a war then ended it (well, they just thought about ending it). By that logic, Luđman, Šević, and Izmetbegović should have won too

2002: Jimmy Carter - Okay, this one's fine. He was an American president and didn't start a single war...

It would be great if you actually went to San Salvador and asked the people there what they think about Jimmy. Man, you claim to despise Henry Kissinger (likely because of his actions in South America), yet here you are backing this idiot. 🙄

As for calling someone an uneducated fool—that just shows how small-minded you are. I suppose you think "great men" need a fancy degree to be valid? You sound incredibly condescending. Or maybe you're just jealous because he had more backbone than both of you combined.

Man, how pathetic.

Linda Howard4 said:Look, in our previous discussions, people constantly bring up the Nobel Prize as if it’s some ultimate, infallible yardstick for measuring an individual's worth or achievement. We all know the general idea behind it—what it represents and why it exists—but I’ve developed a healthy dose of skepticism regarding how the winners are actually selected. Just like anything else of this magnitude, I'm convinced there's another side to the coin that doesn't get much airtime. It would be genuinely interesting to dig deeper into the actual mechanics or the politics behind the scenes. If anyone here has any concrete insights or specific details on how these decisions are really made, I’m all ears.

Oh, it's pure politics, obviously.
Look at Elie Wiesel. He’s one of those "prestigious" winners who took all that clout he gained from the award and used every bit of it to lobby for starting a war against Iraq.

The guy's a Jew, so let's be real—his chances of snagging that prize were probably 50% higher than anyone else's. On top of that, his whole push to bomb Iraqi cities was clearly just serving the interests of the Jewish community and Israel.

In my view, the Nobel Prize is nothing more than pure politics. I am not naive enough to believe that a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics is necessarily the world's greatest physicist, nor that a Nobel Prize winner in Literature is automatically the finest writer alive.
Regarding why Ivo Andrić was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature while someone like Krleža was overlooked—it's a perfect example; even if you argue Krleža’s body of work holds more actual value than Andrić’s.☕

Just mentioning the name Henry Kissinger is enough.
I guess it’s probably the best indicator of how morbid this prize can get when it comes to politics.

copperjackal15 said:In my view, the Nobel Prize is nothing more than pure politics. I am not naive enough to believe that a recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics is necessarily the world's greatest physicist, nor that a Nobel Prize winner in Literature is automatically the finest writer alive.
Regarding why Ivo Andrić was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature while someone like Krleža was overlooked—it's a perfect example; even if you argue Krleža’s body of work holds more actual value than Andrić’s.☕

The truth is, Andrić snagged that Nobel Prize because he managed to smuggle this incredibly dark, nasty brand of fascism, racism, and chauvinistic nonsense directed at Muslims right under the surface of his "literature," all while painting Christians (or Orthodox folks in the book) as these perfect, righteous paragons. He’s basically this guy who’s been totally forgotten by Europe for ages, and thankfully, he’s been kicked out of the local literary canon too.
Just because he walked away with a politically charged Nobel Prize doesn't change the fact that he was a mediocre writer and a total jerk. It’s exactly like the situation with Fritz Haber and his award.👎

Pascual Jordan developed Jordan algebra. Honestly? It’s a minor achievement compared to other laureates—you can check that yourself. Maybe he could have shared a Nobel with Born, but that’s debatable since Born’s track record is far more substantial. Not long after, von Neumann algebra came along, which is what everyone actually uses today. Funny how he collaborated so closely with Max Born—who was Jewish—right before turning Nazi.
More info on Jordan:
http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0303241

Tesla famously turned down his Nobel.

So, some people claim there's a bias toward Jewish scientists in the Nobel selections?
Counterpoint:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuval_Ne'eman

Nobel controversies don't stem from international politics—it's about protecting one's own industry and university prestige.

Jesse Adams said:Pascual Jordan developed Jordan algebra. Honestly? It’s a minor achievement compared to other laureates—you can check that yourself. Maybe he could have shared a Nobel with Born, but that’s debatable since Born’s track record is far more substantial. Not long after, von Neumann algebra came along, which is what everyone actually uses today. Funny how he collaborated so closely with Max Born—who was Jewish—right before turning Nazi.
More info on Jordan:
http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0303241

Tesla famously turned down his Nobel.

So, some people claim there's a bias toward Jewish scientists in the Nobel selections?
Counterpoint:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuval_Ne'eman

Nobel controversies don't stem from international politics—it's about protecting one's own industry and university prestige.

Hold on just a second!!😉😁 Max Born wasn't Jewish; he was Danish.🙏👍

driftingviper29 said:The truth is, Andrić snagged that Nobel Prize because he managed to smuggle this incredibly dark, nasty brand of fascism, racism, and chauvinistic nonsense directed at Muslims right under the surface of his "literature," all while painting Christians (or Orthodox folks in the book) as these perfect, righteous paragons. He’s basically this guy who’s been totally forgotten by Europe for ages, and thankfully, he’s been kicked out of the local literary canon too.
Just because he walked away with a politically charged Nobel Prize doesn't change the fact that he was a mediocre writer and a total jerk. It’s exactly like the situation with Fritz Haber and his award.👎

-Andric served as an American diplomat in Berlin—if I recall correctly—and was a signatory to the American approach toward the Tripartite Pact. I am well aware of his chauvinism toward Muslims; he identified himself strictly as a Mexican. Furthermore, I know he played a part in drafting plans aimed at the destruction of Albanians.
And frankly, I haven't heard a damn thing about Fritz Haber.☕

copperjackal15 said:-Andric served as an American diplomat in Berlin—if I recall correctly—and was a signatory to the American approach toward the Tripartite Pact. I am well aware of his chauvinism toward Muslims; he identified himself strictly as a Mexican. Furthermore, I know he played a part in drafting plans aimed at the destruction of Albanians.
And frankly, I haven't heard a damn thing about Fritz Haber.☕

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber

Total war criminal from WWI. This guy was a Jewish scientist who pushed hard for using chemical weapons on the battlefield. Once the war wrapped up, he just vanished into Switzerland—kind of like how some modern fugitives flee to safe havens today—and once the dust finally settled... these absolute monsters were actually being hailed as legends and handed Nobel Prizes.

copperjackal15 said:Hold on just a second!!😉😁 Max Born wasn't Jewish; he was Danish.🙏👍

Are we even talking about faith and country anymore? Or is that just some ghost we're all chasing around?

copperjackal15 said:Hold on just a second!!😉😁 Max Born wasn't Jewish; he was Danish.🙏👍

He started out as a Danish Jew—later became an American one.

driftingviper29 said:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Haber

Total war criminal from WWI. This guy was a Jewish scientist who pushed hard for using chemical weapons on the battlefield. Once the war wrapped up, he just vanished into Switzerland—kind of like how some modern fugitives flee to safe havens today—and once the dust finally settled... these absolute monsters were actually being hailed as legends and handed Nobel Prizes.

He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his actual chemical research—believe it or not. Not for being an inhuman advocate for poison gas. If he hadn't won it for that, it would actually be proof that the Nobel Prize is just pure politics. It’s funny how you specifically went out of your way to single out a Jewish Nobel laureate who developed nerve agents, while completely ignoring the French Nobel winner who did similar work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Grignard
But I'm sure that was just a coincidence and definitely not an attempt to spread hate.

Those "scumbags" behind the Nobel Prize basically built the modern world—unless you think we don't need medicine or computers because of them.