US Scholar Awarded $1 Million Bergguen Prize for Philosophy

U.S. philosopher and scholar Martha Nussbaum is the winner of this year's $1 million Berggruen Prize for philosophy and culture.

The award was announced Tuesday by the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute, which hailed Nussbaum's work as transcending academia in helping a nation and world to understand and overcome divisiveness.

Nussbaum, author of more than 20 books, frequently examines emotions and the role they play in moral and political judgments.

Her most recent work, "The Monarchy of Fear," ascribes much of the nation's current divisiveness to a politics of blame and fear.

The Berggruen Prize was established in 2016 by philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen to honor those who have "profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement."

Nussbaum, who teaches law and ethics at the University of Chicago, is the first American recipient.