It was recently announced that I am the winner of the 2021 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, an annual $1 million award for “major achievements in advancing ideas that shape the world.”
I am, of course, delighted that my work has been recognized as doing what I have always hoped it would do: change the world for the better. I am honored to be joining eminent previous winners, of whom the most recent are Martha Nussbaum, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Paul Farmer, and I am thankful to Nicolas Berggruen for his interest and support — all too rare among wealthy investors — of philosophy and ideas.
Once the excitement of the news died down, I began to think about what I would do with the money. It did not take me long to decide to give it away.