The inaugural recipient of the Berggruen Prize was the distinguished Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, whose work urges us to see humans as constituted not only by their biology or their personal intentions but also by their existence within language and webs of meaningful relationships.

Taylor’s work exemplifies the importance of philosophy that reaches beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries and has been influential in political science, sociology, anthropology, literature, philosophy, and the study of religion. A leading public intellectual in Quebec, Canada, and around the world, Taylor has been an advocate for political unity that respects cultural diversity.