Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve was the recipient of the 2017 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture. Her work has elevated the quality of public life and improved the very vocabulary of public discourse. Professor O’Neill combines pure theory—particularly, but not solely, of the Kantian kind—with its practical enactment. As a result, her service has been both intellectual and political.

She has served the United Kingdom as the chair of its Equality and Human Rights Commission, as chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and as a member of the Human Genetics Advisory Commission, all of which play central roles in formulating and implementing just policy. Her public service has been acknowledged by many civil honors, in Britain and elsewhere, including appointment to the House of Lords.