reflections

See also commentary - meditation

p r o p h e c y

The Dispossessed

by 100 Nobel Laureates

The following statement was released on December 7, 2001, by 100 Nobel Prize winners to coincide with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Nobel prizes. Although the statement began circulating among the laureates last summer, most of them signed it after September 11.

It cannot be expected, therefore, that in all cases they will be content to await the beneficence of the rich. If then we permit the devastating power of modern weaponry to spread through this combustible human landscape, we invite a conflagration that can engulf both rich and poor. The only hope for the future lies in cooperative international action, legitimized by democracy.

It is time to turn our backs on the unilateral search for security, in which we seek to shelter behind walls. Instead, we must persist in the quest for united action to counter both global warming and a weaponized world.

These twin goals will constitute vital components of stability as we move toward the wider degree of social justice that alone gives hope of Peace.

Some of the needed legal instruments are already at hand, such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, the Convention on Climate Change, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty. As concerned citizens, we urge all governments to commit to these goals that constitute steps on the way to replacement of war by law.

To survive in the world we have transformed, we must learn to think in a new way. As never before, the future of each depends on the good of all.

THE SIGNATORIES

Zhohres I. Alferov Physics, 2000 Sidney Altman Chemistry, 1989 Philip W. Anderson Physics, 1977 Oscar Arias Sanchez Peace, 1987 J. Georg Bednorz Physics, 1987 Bishop Carlos F.X. Belo Peace, 1996 Baruj Benacerraf Physiology/Medicine, 1980 Hans A. Bethe Physics, 1967 James W. Black Physiology/Medicine, 1988 Guenter Blobel Physiology/Medicine, 1999 Nicolaas Bloembergen Physics, 1981 Norman E. Boriaug Peace, 1970 Paul D. Boyer Chemistry, 1997 Bertram N. Brockhouse Physics, 1994 Herbert C. Brown Chemistry, 1979 Georges Charpak Physics, 1992 Claude Cohen-Tannoudji Physics, 1997 John W. Cornforth Chemistry, 1975 Francis H. Crick Physiology/Medicine, 1962 James W. Cronin Physics, 1980 Paul J. Crutzen Chemistry, 1995 Robert F. Curl Chemistry, 1996 His Holiness The Dalai Lama Peace, 1989 Johann Deisenhofer Chemistry, 1988 Peter C. Doherty Physiology/Medicine, 1996 Manfred Eigen Chemistry, 1967 Richard R. Ernst Chemistry, 1991 Leo Esaki Physics, 1973 Edmond H. Fischer Physiology/Medicine, 1992 Val L. Fitch Physics, 1980 Dario Fo Literature, 1997 Robert F. Furchgott Physiology/Medicine, 1998 Walter Gilbert Chemistry, 1980 Sheldon L. Glashow Physics, 1979 Mikhail S. Gorbachev Peace, 1990 Nadine Gordimer Literature, 1991 Paul Greengard Physiology/Medicine, 2000 Roger Guillemin Physiology/Medicine, 1977 Herbert A. Hauptman Chemistry, 1985 Dudley R. Herschbach Chemistry, 1986 Antony Hewish Physics, 1974 Roald Hoffman Chemistry, 1981 Gerardus 't Hooft Physics, 1999 David H. Hubel Physiology/Medicine, 1981 Robert Huber Chemistry, 1988 Francois Jacob Physiology/Medicine, 1975 Brian D. Josephson Physics, 1973 Jerome Karle Chemistry, 1985 Wolfgang Ketterle Physics, 2001 H. Gobind Khorana Physiology/Medicine, 1968 Lawrence R. Klein Economics, 1980 Klaus von Klitzing Physics, 1985

Aaron Klug Chemistry, 1982 Walter Kohn Chemistry, 1998 Herbert Kroemer Physics, 2000 Harold Kroto Chemistry, 1996 Willis E. Lamb Physics, 1955 Leon M. Lederman Physics, 1988 Yuan T. Lee Chemistry, 1986 Jean-Marie Lehn Chemistry, 1987 Rita Levi-Montalcini Physiology/Medicine, 1986 William N. Lipscomb Chemistry, 1976 Alan G. MacDiarmid Chemistry, 2000 Daniel L. McFadden Economics, 2000 César Milstein Physiology/Medicine, 1984 Franco Modigliani Economics, 1985 Rudolf L. Moessbauer Physics, 1961 Mario J. Molina Chemistry, 1995 Ben R. Mottelson Physics, 1975 Ferid Murad Physiology/Medicine, 1998 Erwin Neher Physiology/Medicine, 1991 Marshall W. Nirenberg Physiology/Medicine, 1968 Joseph E. Murray Physiology/Medicine, 1990 Paul M. Nurse Physiology/Medicine, 2001 Max F. Perutz Chemistry, 1962 William D. Phillips Physics, 1997 John C. Polanyi Chemistry, 1986 Ilya Prigogine Chemistry, 1977 Burton Richter Physics, 1976 Heinrich Rohrer Physics, 1987 Joseph Rotblat Peace, 1995 Carlo Rubbia Physics, 1984 Bert Sakmann Physiology/Medicine, 1991 Frederick Sanger Chemistry, 1958; 1980 José Saramago Literature, 1998 J. Robert Schrieffer Physics, 1972 Melvin Schwartz Physics, 1988 K. Barry Sharpless Chemistry, 2001 Richard E. Smalley Chemistry, 1996 Jack Steinberger Physics, 1988 Joseph E. Stiglitz Economics, 2001 Horst L. Stormer Physics, 1998 Henry Taube Chemistry, 1983 Joseph H. Taylor Jr. Physics, 1993 Susumu Tonegawa Physiology/Medicine, 1997 Charles H. Townes Physics, 1964 Daniel T. Tsui Physics, 1998 Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu Peace, 1984 John Vane Physiology/Medicine, 1982 John E. Walker Chemistry, 1997 Eric F. Wieschaus Physiology/Medicine, 1982 Jody Williams Peace, 1997 Robert W. Wilson Physics, 1978 Ahmed H. Zewail Chemistry, 1999

Contents: March/April 2002

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