New Chair of the Nobel Foundation, Astrid Söderbergh Widding, tells how their work affects the image of Sweden and also her personal favorite our of the Nobel laureates.
Astrid, in what way do you think the Nobel Foundation's work affects the image of Sweden?
– The Nobel Prize is undoubtedly one of Sweden's strongest characteristics internationally, contributing to putting Sweden on the map as well as science and literature at the top. And we must remember Norway and the peace prize.
What can be done about society's increased resistance to facts/knowledge?
– It is important to convey that knowledge is not the same as having simple answers to all questions. The search for new knowledge is a process that never ends. It is not enough to say "listen to the researchers" because the research and the researchers also test hypotheses along the way. But it is necessary to communicate knowledge about what we know and do not yet know.
Which of all the Nobel laureates is your favorite and why?
– An impossible question - but it has to be Frank Wilczek*, Nobel laureate in physics in 2004 because he works part-time at Stockholm University.
Read more about the appointment of Astrid Söderbergh Widding to the Chair of the Nobel Foundation on the website of Stockholm University >>
*The Nobel Prize in Physics 2004 was awarded “for the discovery of asymptotic freedom in the theory of the strong interaction” jointly to David J. Gross, H. David Politzer, and Frank Wilczek.