Established in 1972, the Templeton Prize was celebrated investor Sir John Templeton’s first major philanthropic venture.

He created the Templeton Prize because he wanted to recognize discoveries that yielded new insights about religion especially through science, and he set the award amount above that of the Nobel Prizes in order to recognize the importance of what he called “progress in religion.” His understanding of progress in religion evolved during his lifetime and is shown in the variety among the 49 Laureates who have received the Prize. Winners have come from all major faiths and dozens of countries and have included Nobel Prize winners, philosophers, theoretical physicists, and one canonized saint.

Throughout the decades, the Prize always reflected Sir John’s core conviction that there is a deeper level of reality that can be accessed through rigorous research, especially in the sciences. For the first few decades of the Prize, HRH Prince Philip presented the award, and distinguished leaders such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Dame Margaret Thatcher, and Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford served as judges.

In 2020, the Templeton philanthropies updated the description of the Templeton Prize, focusing it on research, discovery, public engagement, and religious leadership that advance our understanding of, and appreciation for, the insights that science brings to the deepest questions of the universe and humankind’s purpose and place within it.

Read on to explore the history of the Templeton Prize.

____
https://www.templetonprize.org/templeton-prize-history/