The Philosopher Who Just Won a $1M Prize

Michael Sandel has won this year’s Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture, and the million dollars that comes with it. The prize, which was set up by investor and philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, is a lifetime-achievement award given to an individual “whose ideas have profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement.” Previous winners include Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Paul Farmer.

Sandel has taught at Harvard University since 1980, where he’s currently the Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government, but is probably most famous for his YouTube series on justice , the first of which, in October 2025, had amassed more than 40 million views. He’s also an internationally in-demand speaker whose lectures draw standing-room-only crowds in Asia and Europe. His teaching s