The politics of excellence : behind the Nobel Prize in science

Friedman looked through actual Nobel archives to show how much individual agendas, politics, and ambition have overtaken "conferring the greatest benefit on mankind" in the selection process. Explores how one year a prize can be offered before any major discovery has been made and yet Einstein was never given one for his theory of relativity (he won later for other work). A wonderful survey of 20th Century science history. The Nobel Prize is widely seen as a mark of genius and the greatest reward a scientist can receive in his or her career. Universities and research institutions vie with each other to attract Nobel laureates, and students in the sciences dream of one day being prizewinners themselves. How could we possibly doubt the integrity of this prestigious award? In this first in-depth study of the Nobel archives, Robert Marc Friedman reveals a prize that is above neither the dictates of fashion and politics, nor the personal agendas of committee members. The cases of Albert Einstein and Lise Meitner are only the best known among many that Friedman examines that underscore how on more than one occasion it has conferred acclaim on mediocrity and denied true brilliance its due. Chronicling the prize's 100-year history, he charts how, in spite of recurring controversy, the prize has attained to the prominence it holds today. An eye-opening look at one of our greatest cultural icons, The Politics of Excellence ultimately questions the legacy of the Nobel Prize in a culture characterized by intense competition for resources, indecorous commercialism, and hype. The Nobel Prize is widely seen as a mark of genius and the greatest reward a scientist can receive in his or her career. Universities and research institutions vie with each other to attract Nobel laureates, and students in the sciences dream of one day being prizewinners themselves. How could we possibly doubt the integrity of this prestigious award?

In this first in-depth study of the Nobel archives, Robert Marc Friedman reveals a prize that is above neither the dictates of fashion and politics, nor the personal agendas of committee members. The cases of Albert Einstein and Lise Meitner are only the best known among many that Friedman examines that underscore how on more than one occasion it has conferred acclaim on mediocrity and denied true brilliance its due. Chronicling the prize's 100-year history, he charts how, in spite of recurring controversy, the prize has attained to the prominence it holds today.

An eye-opening look at one of our greatest cultural icons, The Politics of Excellence ultimately questions the legacy of the Nobel Prize in a culture characterized by intense competition for resources, indecorous commercialism, and hype.

Friedman deftly pulls back the curtain to reveal a vivid and sometimes emotional politics behind the selection of Nobel laureates. For all those interested in science and its history, this is a must read book.
—Robert H. Kargon, Johns Hopkins University

The Politics of Excellence goes to the heart of the Nobel Prize in physics and chemistry, and liberates history from misconception. Friedman's access has been unprecedented and his conclusions are provocative. No one truly interested in the Prize can afford to miss it. —Roy MacLeod, University of Sydney

Introduction: Legendary Excellence -- Permanent Battles Will Surely be Waged for Every Prize -- The Stupidest Use of a Bequest That I Can Imagine! -- Coming Apart at the Seams -- Sympathy for an Area Closely Connected with My Own Specialty -- Each Nobel Prize Can Be Likened to a Swedish Flag -- Has the Swedish Academy of Sciences ... Seen Nothing, Heard Nothing, and Understood Nothing? -- Should the Nobel Prize Be Awarded in Wartime? -- While the Sores Are Still Dripping Blood! -- Small Popes in Uppsala -- Einstein Must Never Get a Nobel Prize -- To Sit on a Nobel Committee Is Like Sitting on Quicksand -- Clamor in the Academy -- Don't Shoot the Piano Player, He's Doing the Best He Can -- It Can Happen That Pure Pettiness Enters -- One Ought to Think the Matter Over Twice -- Scandalous Traffic -- Dazzling Dialects -- Completely Lacking an Unambiguous, Objective Standard -- The Knights Templar