Professor Michael J. Sandel Awarded 2025 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture
Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel has been named the 2025 recipient of the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, recognizing his transformative scholarship and teachings on justice, ethics, markets, and democracy. Professor Sandel was a charter member of the Center for Ethics' Faculty Committee and has been a Faculty Associate at the ELSCE since 2007.
Established in 2016, the $1 million award honors thinkers whose work reshapes how we understand humankind and global community. Winners are selected annually by an international jury of scholars and writers.
Professor Sandel's widely translated books, including Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?, What Money Can't Buy, and The Tyranny of Merit, have sparked global conversations on moral reasoning and civic life. His renowned "Justice" course was the first Harvard class made freely available online and on television, reaching audiences worldwide.
A portion of the prize money will be donated to The Babayan Project, a civic education initiative for children co-founded by Sandel and his wife, Kiku Adatto. The project uses storytelling and music to engage youth in ethical reflection across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
Read the Harvard Gazette's article here.