The Politics of Excellence by Robert Marc Friedman, Times Books, $30, ISBN 0716731037
THE Oscars, the Booker, even the Olympics have all been tainted with the muck of politics in recent years. But above the tide of hype and unseemly lobbying stands the supposedly dignified spectacle of the Nobels. In this superbly researched book, Robert Friedman sets out to offer a more nuanced perspective, carefully examining the process by which the prizes have been determined in both physics and chemistry over the past century.
The result is a deeply fascinating set of stories that reveal the full spectrum of human foibles. Arrogance, racism, sexism, stupidity and sheer pettiness have all played a part in the history of the prizes. As one committee member noted, scientists are not always the most perfect of God鈥檚 creatures. The history of the prize, Friedman says in The Politics of Excellence, is the history of using the prize, for as everyone concerned quickly realised, such an extraordinary acknowledgment was a valuable resource that could be exploited for cultural and scientific gains, as well as narrow careerist agendas.
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No case is perhaps more telling than that of Einstein. Seen as a purveyor of metaphysical nonsense that would corrupt the vigorous strain of experimental physics admired by conservative Nobel committee members, Einstein鈥檚 nomination provoked an extraordinary depth of hostility. That he finally won may well be testimony to his genius, but as Friedman makes clear, a critical factor was the political manoeuvring of Swedish physicist C. W. Oseen. If only Friedman had extended his range to the economics prize, then we could get the back story on the controversial award to mathematician John Nash as well.