Between Research and Responsibility: The Invention of Dynamite

Abstract

The myth surrounding the creation of The Nobel Prize and an incorrectly published newspaper article has long dominated the conversation about the famed inventor Alfred Nobel. In actuality, this myth appears to have been fabricated by biographers. Nobel had a complicated relationship with views on scientific progress; he long contemplated the role of researchers and morality in the face of scientific advancement. He was not the sole contributor to his discoveries; many researchers played a role in the inevitable discovery of the explosive material dynamite. Their stories, combined with the musings of Nobel discussing his explosives empire, provide an interesting insight into the ethics surrounding inventions of destructive materials. Many scientists have claimed their discovery will be the one to end all wars. Can we justify destruction in the name of deterrence?

Keywords

• History/Philosophy
• Chemical History
• Misconceptions
• Ethics
• Undergraduate Research