[js1138]

I think if Nobel Prizes were awarded or denied on the basis of personality, the list of winners would be different. The biography of Feynman indicates he was as obnoxious at lectures as the question askers were at the museum.

The difference is, that when he was shut down by a lecturer, he was intelligent enough to notice.

[Thatcherite]

The biography of Feynman indicates he was as obnoxious at lectures as the question askers were at the museum.

But boy could he tell some great stories; I just love "Adventures of a Curious Character" or whatever it is called.

[RightWingAtheist]

A lot of bright people have strange quirks (as opposed to Murray Gell-Man, who only has strange quarks), which such committees are often willing to overlook. For instance, Brian Josephson was already deep into parapsychology and other quackery when he received the Nobel for his work on quantum tunnelling (coincidentaly or not, he's also the only living Nobel Prize winner who doesn't have a biography page on the official website). Samuel Ting and Steve Weinberg are two people who are also allegedly difficult to deal with. A friend of mine was once interviewing Weinberg for a historical paper dealing with the SSC fiasco, and she found it very trying when she presented him with all the carefully documented evidence she had found which contradicted his position; once he has made up his mind on anything, he absolutely refuses to budge. It was that same stubborness which led him to the electroweak model which so many others had given upon before him, but it also explains why holds the seemingly contradictory position of both opposing any attempt by America at defending itself, but supports Israel's right to do so. Most people either support or oppose a strong system of defense for both nation, but Weinberg continues to cling to the same opinion for nearly forty years, after both Vietnam and the Six-Days War shifted the definitions of the "left" and "right" positions for everyone else.