We all have pet peeves, and I’m afraid one of mine is people who insist on pointing out every year that the Nobel Prize in Economics isn’t really a Nobel Prize. It’s actually the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Science in Honor of Alfred Nobel, it wasn’t part of Nobel’s original will, it’s a party-crasher that was tacked on a mere 40 years ago, blah blah blah.
Come on, people. It’s awarded by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, just like the Physics and Chemistry prizes. It follows the same rules as the other prizes. The Nobel Foundation bought into the idea and lists it on their website along with all the other prizes. (Yes, it’s carefully referred to only as a “Prize,” not a “Nobel Prize,” but still.) And it’s presented on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death at the same awards ceremony as all the others. Don’t believe me? Here’s Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman at the awards ceremony last year right alongside all the “real” winners. Hell, Krugman even looks a little bit like Alfred Nobel.
So it’s a Nobel Prize. End of micro-rant. You may now continue with your previously scheduled Columbus Day festivities.
