Templeton Prize
The Templeton Prize is - according to the Fundamental Physics Prize and Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (each 3 million U.S. dollars ) - the world's third highest prize awarded (2013: 1,100,000 pounds sterling) for individuals. With their merits will be awarded at the interface between science and religion.
Sponsor of the prize in 1972 was a financial investor, Sir John Templeton ( 1912-2008 ), who was appointed in 1987 by Queen Elizabeth II for his charity work Knight Bachelor. The annually awarded by the Templeton Foundation Award consciously follows the height of the Nobel Prize and exceeds them in order to emphasize the importance of spirituality that is not sufficiently appreciated the Nobel Prize of the founder 's view. The award is not directed to a particular religion or a particular image of God, the jury includes adherents of the various religious communities, as well as atheists.
From 1972 to 2001, the price was marked " for progress in religion", from 2002 to 2008 then " for progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities". He is usually sufficient in London.
The price is controversial, especially among scientists. From the biologist and atheist critics of religion Richard Dawkins, the price was sharply criticized. According to him, " a very large amount of money is usually given to a scientist who is willing to say something nice about religion " will. The Dutch Nobel Prize winner Martinus Veltman expressed in his 2003 published book Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics suspect the Anglican priest and physicist John Polkinghorne have received the Templeton Prize in 2002 for the "difficult bridge between reason and nonsense ". The Nobel Prize for Chemistry Harry Kroto criticized his fellow scientists Martin Rees for accepting the Templeton Prize, because it 's aim was " to undermine the valuable cornerstone of science ," that she was " the only reliable philosophical construct for the determination of truth." Repeats the prize went to candidates who are close to the pseudo-scientific Intelligent Design movement, around 2006 to John D. Barrow.