There are only a limited number of awards that are more prestigious than the Nobel Prizes. Such awards often honor researchers in different scientific categories who have gained prestige in their fields over decades. But at the societal level, this status enjoyed by science has been shaken in recent years. Populist voices in politics and civil society are increasingly openly questioning scientific findings, such as those related to the climate crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, without offering specific counterarguments. Some are intentionally aiming to spread misinformation.
It is at times like these that the Nobel Prizes may become even more important. The winners for this year are scheduled to be announced starting tomorrow in Stockholm and Oslo, starting with the scientific categories of medicine, physics and chemistry. If the awards this time go to results on relatively current topics that affect people, such as the development of Corona vaccines, this may also enhance confidence in scientific facts. The names of Nobel Prize winners always remain secret until the moment they are officially announced.
Fill tool
“Anti-science populism has already become a political mobilization tool,” said communications scientist Matthias Köring, from Germany’s University of Mannheim, explaining that political elites – or as they are called in popular parlance, “those at the top” – are trying to exploit scientific issues in order to generate resonance. Politician.
He added: “What you can notice is polarization among people, which is what populist politicians seek, expand it as much as possible, and exploit it constantly,” noting that this polarization in the United States has reached a more severe extent than it is in Germany.
Trust in scientific results and combating misinformation has also been a topic of concern for the Nobel Prizes for years. The Nobel Foundation warned during the Nobel Prize Summit on the theme “Truth, Trust, and Hope” held in Washington at the end of last May, saying: “False information harms our confidence in science and poses a risk of becoming one of the greatest threats to our society today.” At the time, the Foundation invited Nobel Prize winners and experts to explore how to combat these trends.
The world has a problem
For his part, Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation, Vidar Helgesen, said: “We see all over the world that there are very systematic efforts to undermine science and truth and tear apart large parts of the social fabric.. So we are facing a problem. “The world has a problem.”
Geophysicist and President of the US National Academy of Sciences, Marcia McNutt, supported Helgesen’s warnings, adding: “When we look at the effects of false and misleading information, we find that they are not limited to science. We see it in politics, in health, and we see it in society as a whole.” She continued: “Science is never complete, and it is never perfect, but it is the best we have.”
When this year’s Nobel Prize winners are announced to honor their extraordinary discoveries, leading scientists will once again be in the spotlight of a global audience.
According to the will of the inventor of dynamite and founder of the award, Alfred Nobel (1833-1896), the aim of the award is to honor those who have provided humanity with the greatest benefit through their discoveries. The value of this year’s prizes is 11 million Swedish krona (about 930,000 euros) for each category, an increase of one million krona over last year.
Communications scientist Coring doubts whether famous awards can be a source of confidence in science, noting that Nobel Prizes can certainly play a role in highlighting the importance of science – after all, they honor historical achievements – but he believes that awarding Nobel Prizes has become It represents a ritual that is “somewhat detached from reality” for those who believe in science anyway.
Missed opportunity
Communications scientist Matthias Köring saw that the failure of the Nobel Prize in Medicine in recent years to go to the developers of Corona vaccines, which ultimately saved countless lives around the world, represents a missed opportunity.
• The names of Nobel Prize winners always remain secret until the moment they are officially announced.
• 11 million Swedish krona, the value of the prize in each category.
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2023-09-30 22:06:13
