Alfred Nobel

& His Prizes Essay, Research Paper

In addressing hope, Alfred Nobel referred to it as .nature’s veil for hiding truth’s nakedness.2. Such a statement encompasses the struggle associated with Nobel.s lifework. Alfred Nobel.s existence spanned many realms of thought and being. He was a scientist, a writer, a philosopher and humanitarian, and ultimately a philanthropist. It was probably this myriad of influences and inspirations that injected him into the core of friction between science and society, between knowledge and application. This work will elucidate Nobel.s motivation for creating the Nobel Prize with the assertion that the prize is an instrument used to reconcile the incongruity between science and humanity.

Alfred-Bernhard was born to his mother Caroline Andriette Nobel on October 21, 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden.1 At birth he was a physically quiet and fragile infant, unlike his two older brothers, who were four and two years old respectively, and were quite energetic. Alfred.s mother nourished me to health and cared for him with her bracing maternal touch. In the words of Erik Bergengren, it took .all her tender care to keep his flickering life flame burning. She alone believed and succeeded when all others had given up hope..2

In the following years Alfred grew, although still not physically dynamic, his mind gained much strength in the form of knowledge and an interested insatiability. Alfred writes of his school terms in the following poem:

We find him now a boy. His weakness still makes him a stranger in the little world wherein he moves. When fellow-boys are playing he joins them not, a pensive looker-on; and thus debarred the pleasures of his age his mind keeps brooding over those to come.3

It is evident that Alfred felt he was physically incapable of joining with his classmates in their activities. Partly as a consequence of this Alfred gained the highest marks possible in the academic classes he took at school.2 His upbringing was an integral part of the formation of his inventive mind and logic as well as his persistence and endurance.

The role of Immanuel Nobel, Alfred.s father, was also crucial in molding Alfred into the man, inventor, and ingenious mind he became. It was almost as if the will and ability to invent and innovate was passed down through the generations amongst Alfred and his ancestry. His family was descended from none other than Olof Rudbeck, the best-known technical genius of Sweden’s 17th century era as a Great Power in Northern Europe.3 Keeping this in mind and the fact that he was born into a family of engineers, namely, his father, we can plainly see a major avenue of influence on Alfred Nobel and his inventive ways of industry.

Furthermore, having seen the source of his career choice we can now examine certain events that placed Alfred in the core of invention and industry.

A year before Alfred.s birth, the house he was soon to grace, lay in ashes, cradled by arms of smoke. This resulted in poverty for the family. Immanuel Nobel found himself at a loss for capital and submerged in debt and deprivation. He took a loan from his brother in-law and began inventing again only to be disheartened again by an explosion in his factory.3

Faced with the reality and responsibility of having to provide for a sizeable family Immanuel looked east, to Russia. .Sweden now represented the scene of his bankruptcy and business losses, so he decided to leave his native land and search for his .pot of gold. in Russia..3 Alfred.s father eventually established a position in the Russian iron mills and was able to provide for private tutoring for his sons. .Perhaps the only way to explain the breadth and profundity of Alfred.s knowledge is to call him largely self-taught..3 Alfred was able to write in six different languages and took interest in various subjects of study; treating all of them with the utmost in significance. However, the episode of bankruptcy and paucity had left its blemish on Alfred.s disposition and psyche. As he matured he gained a certain reputation for being .gloomy, sarcastic, and misanthropic..2

In the struggle to give Alfred and his brothers the material necessities Immanuel, their father, also bestowed upon them the .full benefit of.mechanical and technical knowledges..4 There was always an inventive aroma in the air in the house of the Nobels.. Such an approach to life and existence instilled in Alfred Nobel a respect for science and a fascination with scientific quests.

In the mid 1800s Alfred began studying foreign languages. His ability to engage in discourse and write in multiple languages .intensified his broad world outlook.4, and afforded him an opportunity to become more cultured and worldly. Alfred lived in Paris for some time studying French and looking to establish a career. Soon after he traveled to America to study Engineering under a Swedish engineer, Ericsson, however Alfred did not stay long enough to gain the title of engineer.3 Evlanoff and Fluor in discussing Alfred Nobel.s experience with engineering make a distinction between Nobel.s mentality and that of an engineer.

.Engineering could never have suited Alfred. He was no automaton of science, no robot duplicating technical operations of other men. Even at this time of youth, his scientific interests lay in working out his original ideas and schemes..3