I don't think awards should be the end goal, but they do serve a purpose. For instance, most people on here probably wouldn't have heard about Liu Xiaobo, well atleast before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Having the backing of prestigious award such as Nobel Prize will only bolster his cause; he's in prison. Increase financial and political support is not silly at all.
For scientist, this might mean that they wouldn't have to fight as hard to get funding from people who don't understand their research. The people who don't understand research understand awards, so it can be used as a proxy to make judgement.
You don't need an award for any of those things. The award recognizes the accomplishment only to those who cannot understand it. That's why it's silly. But there are other ways to recognize their achievements... like understanding what they did and why it's important. Yes in an ideal world it should be unnecessary...
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I don't think awards should be the end goal, but they do serve a purpose. For instance, most people on here probably wouldn't have heard about Liu Xiaobo, well atleast before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. Having the backing of prestigious award such as Nobel Prize will only bolster his cause; he's in prison. Increase financial and political support is not silly at all.
For scientist, this might mean that they wouldn't have to fight as hard to get funding from people who don't understand their research. The people who don't understand research understand awards, so it can be used as a proxy to make judgement.
You don't need an award for any of those things. The award recognizes the accomplishment only to those who cannot understand it. That's why it's silly. But there are other ways to recognize their achievements... like understanding what they did and why it's important. Yes in an ideal world it should be unnecessary...