Erasmus Prize 2012 Awarded to Daniel C. Dennett

AMSTERDAM, November 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange will award the American philosopher Daniel C. Dennett (1942) with the Erasmus Prize 2012. The theme of the Erasmus Prize this year is 'the cultural meaning of the natural sciences'. Daniel Dennett is praised for his ability to translate the cultural significance of science and technology to a broad audience. The Erasmus Prize is an annual award for a person who has made an exceptional contribution to culture, society or social science. The prize money is a sum of Euro 150,000.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121108/573614 )

The award ceremony will take place on 14 November in the Royal Palace, Amsterdam.

Daniel Dennett has addressed the major cultural questions of our time, questions that have defined our self-image, such as 'Where do we come from?' and 'What is consciousness?' Dennett has chosen a wide range of themes in his work, from religion and Darwinism to free will and artificial intelligence. The natural sciences form the starting point for Dennett's world view.

In the week from 10 to 18 November a number of activities will take place in which Daniel Dennett himself takes part: two symposia in the Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, discussion meetings in SPUI25, the EYE film institute and the Royal Institute for the Tropics, and a science lecture in Paradiso. The digital channel Holland Doc 24 will broadcast interviews with, and documentaries on, Daniel Dennett .

Note for the editors:

http://www.erasmusprijs.org

SOURCE Praemium Erasmianum Foundation