McGill philosopher first Canadian to win coveted distinction

Mar 23, 2007 09:03:40

McGill University Professor Charles Taylor, Canada’s most renowned philosopher and an internationally respected authority on the challenges of reconciling society’s secular and spiritual dimensions, has won the 2007 Templeton Prize. The Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries About Spiritual Realities is valued at 800,000 pounds sterling (approximately $1.5 million USD), and is the world’s largest annual monetary award given to an individual. It was announced March 14 at a news conference at the Church Center for the United Nations in New York by the John Templeton Foundation, which has awarded the prize since 1973. Created by British investor and philanthropist Sir John Templeton, the annual award value is purposely set to exceed the Nobel Prizes to underscore the founder’s belief that spiritual exploration and discovery are of equal or greater value than those of other human endeavours. The Duke of Edinburgh will officially present the prize during a private ceremony at Buckingham Palace on May 2. Professor Taylor is the first Canadian to win the Templeton Prize. Previous honourees include the Rev. Dr. Billy Graham, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Mother Teresa.