THE merchant of death is dead.鈥� That was the headline of an 1888 obituary of Alfred Nobel, who had amassed a fortune by selling explosives. The notice was premature, however: it was actually Alfred鈥檚 brother Ludvig who had died. The arms manufacturer did not like what he saw, so the story goes, and was thus inspired to burnish his legacy.
When Nobel wrote his it contained instructions to create a series of prizes for those who confer the 鈥済reatest benefit on mankind鈥�. The awards remain the most prestigious in science. It is questionable, though, whether they still live up to Nobel鈥檚 noble intentions.
A Nobel prize can elevate brilliant but little-known innovators to influential visionaries with global reach. Few people outside Kenya, for example, had heard of and her attempts to boost sustainable development and human rights until she was awarded the 2004 peace prize. The resulting media attention gave her a golden opportunity to spread her message.
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Maathai is just one recent laureate whose achievements fit awkwardly into the prizes鈥� framework. Her work on environmental and social justice is relevant to peace-keeping, but it is hardly conflict resolution. Even so, she was shoehorned into the peace category.
The basic science prizes in chemistry, physics and 鈥減hysiology or medicine鈥� still reflect Nobel鈥檚 19th-century world view. In fact, the only alteration to the Nobel line-up in 108 years was the creation by the Bank of Sweden in 1968 of the economics prize, and one might question whether this has really served to recognise the 鈥済reatest benefit鈥� to humanity. The were the brains behind Long-Term Capital Management 鈥� the gigantic hedge fund whose near-collapse a year later was a harbinger of greater financial woes to come.
鈥淭he prizes in chemistry, physics and 鈥榩hysiology or medicine鈥� still reflect Nobel鈥檚 19th-century world view鈥�
So do the prizes need to change? We asked a range of prominent scientists, and most replied with an emphatic yes (see 鈥淓xperts call for Nobel prizes to be revamped鈥�). After a month of debate, they decided to call for the creation of new Nobel prizes for the global environment and public health. The group also said that the existing medicine prize should be reconfigured to recognise achievements across the life sciences, from ecology to molecular biology.
What would Alfred Nobel make of these proposals if he were alive today? We believe that he would feel that they captured the spirit of his will. The people who do the most for the world over this century may well be the organisations and individuals who 鈥� we hope 鈥� are able to rein in climate change and eradicate diseases. Let鈥檚 make sure those achievements can be fully recognised by the most prestigious prizes of all.