Are the Nobel Prizes fulfilling Nobel's Will?

Nobel’s Peace Prize Is Not a Human Rights Prize | Dissident Voice

It is time commentators, media people and others do the five minute research work and read Nobel’s will so we can get a debate about the gross, persistent misuse of Nobel’s intentions for other purposes than the one Nobel had in mind: to abolish militarism and thereby end warfare.

Nobel Peace Prize: the five most controversial winners | News | The Week UK 

1. Cordell Hull, 1945 - sent Jews back to Europe
2. Henry Kissinger, 1973 - Carpet Bombed Cambodia 
3. Yasser Arafat, 1994 - Terrorist
4. Wangari Maathai, 2004: - said Aids was a biological weapon  
5. Barack Obama, 2009: even he said he didn't deserve the award 

Text of Alfred Nobel's Will regarding the Prizes

The whole of my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way: the capital, invested in safe securities by my executors, shall constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to mankind. The said interest shall be divided into five equal parts, which shall be apportioned as follows:

• The prizes for physics and chemistry shall be awarded by the Swedish Academy of Sciences;

1. Physics - one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics;

2. Chemistry - one part to the person who shall have made the most important chemical discovery or improvement;

• that for physiological or medical work by the Caroline Institute in Stockholm;

3. Medicine - one part to the person who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine;

•  that for literature by the Academy in Stockholm,

4. Literature - one part to the person who shall have produced in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction;

•  and that for champions of peace by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting.

5. Peace - and one part to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.

It is my express wish that in awarding the prizes no consideration whatever shall be given to the nationality of the candidates, but that the most worthy shall receive the prize, whether he be a Scandinavian or not.

Administration

As Executors of my testamentary dispositions, I hereby appoint Mr Ragnar Sohlman, resident at Bofors, Värmland, and Mr Rudolf Lilljequist, 31 Malmskillnadsgatan, Stockholm, and at Bengtsfors near Uddevalla. To compensate for their pains and attention, I grant to Mr Ragnar Sohlman, who will presumably have to devote most time to this matter, One Hundred Thousand Crowns, and to Mr Rudolf Lilljequist, Fifty Thousand Crowns;

Ragnar Sohlman played a very important role in executing the will of Alfred Nobel. He was instrumental in establishing the Nobel Foundation and organizing its cooperation with the prize-awarding institutions. Ragnar Sohlman then worked for one of the Nobel companies in Sweden, AB Bofors Nobelkrut, from 1899-1919. He became its chief executive officer. During 1929-1946 Ragnar Sohlman served as the Executive Director of the Nobel Foundation.

Nobel Prize - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Unrealizable Terms?

The goals of Nobel's will may not be possible to realize. The idea that one achievement by one person can be attributed to an individual or is so much better than any other idea that it is the only one to be recognized has not been achieved by the awarding committees most of the time. Most really big achievements require collegial efforts by teams. The idea that the most important achievement in any of the five fields can be determined within a year of their accomplishment is highly doubtful. Many times in history, scientific ideas which dominated their field for several years have later been found to be downright wrong. Literature particularly is a matter of taste, and the test of time is the most sure determinant of quality. Peace is another award that has become captured by politics, probably as Nobel feared. Requiring the award to only go to a living person has resulted in failure to recognize many of the greatest achievements, such as Ghandi.