Response

Prof. Ahmed Zewail
Winner of the 2006 Albert Einstein World Award of Science

I am delighted to be here this evening and to receive this special honor, the 2006 Albert Einstein Award. Indeed this is a special recognition and the award is unique for two reasons—the award is for contributions across disciplines, and the award is juried by over a hundred scientists, professionals, and leaders from different disciplines. Normally prizes are judged by professionals in the same field, but this Prize, with its broad scope, is for contributions that bring "true benefit to mankind".

It is a real pleasure for me to thank the President, Dr. Estrada, the Executive Director, the Secretary General, and all the honorary guests that came today and have made this possible. Special recognition goes to the Ambassador of Egypt who came especially to be with us on this occasion.

The Prize citation recognizes the scientific work we have done since receiving the Nobel Prize. But significantly, as Dr. Estrada mentioned in his talk, the citation also acknowledges some of my efforts in helping to achieve world peace. This human dimension is what I intend to focus on for the rest of this speech.

Some believe in the concepts of conflict of civilizations, cultures, and religions. Samuel Huntington at Harvard truly believes in such concepts. I simply do not. As a scientist I do not see the basis for these conflicts. If we scan across history, we will find people of different faiths, religions, and cultures who have lived in harmony, at least for the sake of mutual benefit.

I recently wrote an article in which I mentioned some of the difficulties I have in defining such concepts, even on a personal level. I am Egyptian, Middle Eastern, Arab Muslim, Mediterranean, African, and American. So, as one person, I have many cultural influences, and yet there is no conflict!

Even on the level of one organ there is harmony for cooperativity. Think about your own brain. There are more than one billion neurons that are working together in order for you to see me. It seems to me that on this Planet Earth people can, in a similar way, work together to achieve the goal of global peace and prosperity, provided we can limit greed and hegemony.

The problem, in my opinion, is not in the conflict of cultures, religions, or civilizations. Rather, the problems are political, economical, and educational. Politically, in the world of today greed is a goal. Some seek to obtain goods and resources by exploiting others, some use brutal force to occupy the territory of others, and some oppress others for lack of respect. These are the sources of political conflicts.

Economically, only 20 percent of the world’s population is able to have nutritious meals, access to clean water, and social benefits. So the remaining 80 percent live in the so-called developing or underdeveloped world. We need better systems of awareness and partnership, such as microbanking, to help this frustrated population of the have-nots.

Finally, there is the education issue. There exists a high level of ignorance around the world; ignorance about cultures, ignorance about religions. That ignorance is in part responsible for the conflicts of today. Rational thinking, which is embedded in science education, needs to be enhanced worldwide, and dialogues of cultures are the real bridges to enlightenment and understanding between peoples.

Ladies and gentlemen, what we really need is a new vision of the world. We need new leadership that can understand the basic core of human commonality and work to enhance cooperation and mutual benefit, and not to foster divisions and raise barriers. To divide is not in the best interest of the future of our world.

I would like to conclude by saying that I applaud you for acknowledging the importance of knowledge and for caring about integrating science and human values for the benefit of humankind and world peace.

Thank you!