Dan David Foundation names winners for prize

The Dan David Foundation announced its five winners for the 2013 Dan David Prize this week: historian Prof. Sir Geoffrey Lloyd, philosopher Prof. Michel Serres, writer and editor Leon Wieseltier, economist Prof. Esther Duflo and epidemiologist Prof. Alfred Sommer.

The Dan David Prize is an international award divided into three prizes worth $1 million each for scientific, technological, cultural or social achievements, which have strong impact on society.

Each year, fields are chosen within the categories of past, present and future.

This year’s prizes will be awarded at a ceremony at Tel Aviv University in June.

Lloyd, 80, who won the award in the “past” category, is a facility member at Cambridge University whose research focuses on the history of ancient Greek philosophy.

Lloyd’s research has provided insights on the sociology, anthropology and general history of ancient Greece.

Recently, he has also engaged in comparative research of Chinese and Greek science.

In the “present” category, French philosopher Serres, 82, and The New Republic’s Wieseltier, 60, will share the award.

Throughout his career, Serres, who currently teaches at Stanford University, has researched man’s relationship with nature through history, math, epistemology and moral philosophy. He studied literary texts, philosophical and scientific competence and stood out for his original conclusions that have distinguished him from pertaining to a particular school of thought.

Wieseltier is an American Jew who has worked at The New Republic since 1983.

He has written a number of influential books on issues such as nuclear war, social and moral philosophy, as well as the death of Jewish tradition and the relationship between Israel and the United States.

In the “future” category, the award will be shared by French economist Duflo, 40, who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is known for her work on the issue of poverty in the Third World; and epidemiologist Sommer, 70, who teaches at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and has brought to light the benefits of Vitamin A for the prevention of childhood blindness in Indonesia.