The author has long argued that donating to save lives, restore sight, or enable a family to escape extreme poverty does more good than donating to a museum or opera. Now, having decided to keep none of the money accompanying the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, he puts his argument to the test.
PRINCETON – It was recently announced that I am the winner of the 2021 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, an annual $1 million award for “major achievements in advancing ideas that shape the world.” I am, of course, delighted that my work has been recognized as doing what I have always hoped it would do: change the world for the better. I am honored to be joining eminent previous winners, of whom the most recent are Martha Nussbaum, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Paul Farmer, and I am thankful to Nicolas Berggruen for his interest and support – all too rare among wealthy investors – of philosophy and ideas.
PRINCETON – It was recently announced that I am the winner of the 2021 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, an annual $1 million award for “major achievements in advancing ideas that shape the world.” I am, of course, delighted that my work has been recognized as doing what I have always hoped it would do: change the world for the better. I am honored to be joining eminent previous winners, of whom the most recent are Martha Nussbaum, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Paul Farmer, and I am thankful to Nicolas Berggruen for his interest and support – all too rare among wealthy investors – of philosophy and ideas.