Two months ago the Templeton Prize for the advancement and research of spiritual matters was awarded to Charles Taylor, Professor of Law and Philosophy at Northwestern University and Professor Emeritus at McGill University. The award carries a $1,500,000 purse which is larger than the Nobel Prize ... by design. The prize began in 1972 but more on that in a minute.
Professor Taylor's work has exclusively covered the subject of "sense of self" and, how it is defined by morals and what one considers good. Professor Taylor feels that separating the spiritual issues from the humanities and social sciences leads to flawed conclusions. He is a leader in "today's" search for meaning.
Nobel, as you may recall, created his prize in 1901 honoring men and women for their achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and for peace. Mr. Nobel, scientist and inventor (including gun powder) became an author (poetry) and pacifist. Templeton, like Nobel had tremendous respect for science and has spent a lifetime encouraging open mindedness.
Sir John Templeton made his fortune on Wall Street and at 92, he is a full-time philanthropist. He created some of the world's largest and most successful international investment funds. He sold the Templeton Instruments to the Franklin group over 15 years ago. The Templeton prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities came soon after.
Templeton writes in one of his many books ... "Rarely does a conservative become a hero of history ... rather it is the far-reaching thinker who breaks out of the traditional mold, one who, according to the accepted customs of his time, might be branded a heretic".
Templeton believed that just as knowledge in the sciences, from cosmology to neuro-science has grown exponentially over the course of his lifetime so should these break-throughs expand to the human perception of the concept of the divine. The prize is intended to facilitate awareness of the infinity of the universal spirit
Additional winners include:
| Howard Townes | (also a Nobel winner in physics) | ||
| George Ellis |
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Professor of Mathematics at U. of Cape Town | |
| Holmes Rolston III | The father of environmental ethics | ||
| John Polkinghorne | Physicist & Anglican priest |
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| Arthur Peacocke | Professor of Biophysical Chemistry, U. of Birmingham |
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| Freeman Dyson | Professor Emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study | ||
| Ian Barbour | Professor, Carlton College | ||
| Charles Colson | of Watergate fame | ||
| Lord Jacobovitz | Chief Rabbi of Great Britain | ||
| Inamullah Khan | the Muslim World Muslim Congress | ||
| Rev. James McLord | Chancellor of the Center of Theological Inquiry | ||
| Aleksadr Sdzhemitsyn | |||
| Billy Graham | |||
| Brother Roger |
Oh yes, and the very first recipient, Mother Theresa.
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