Berlin 2005 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

GP: Geschichte der Physik

GP 5: Hauptvortrag II

GP 5.1: Invited Talk

Tuesday, March 8, 2005, 10:15–11:00, TU H3024

“Einstein must never receive a Nobel Prize”: A tale of arrogance confronting brilliance and its importance for 2005 — •Robert Marc Friedman — University Oslo, Department History

After having refused repeatedly to recognize Einstein for his contributions to relativity theory, in 1922 the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences rewarded him for the discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect. Only by understanding who the Swedish Nobel committee members were, how the committee functioned, and what was at stake for the Academy of Sciences is it possible to understand why what many nominators called the greatest contributions to physics since Newton were rejected as being worthy of a Nobel Prize. In the spirit of Einstein’s 1905 papers, this episode should prompt a re-evaluation of basic principles, in this case, related to the place of the Nobel Prize, and other prizes, in the culture of modern science.