Prestigious award for science historian Lorraine Daston

Historian of science Lorraine Daston from the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin is honoured with the internationally renowned Israeli Dan David Prize.

February 08, 2018

The winners in three categories were announced on Wednesday in Tel Aviv University. Daston receives the $ 1 million award (more than € 800,000) for her groundbreaking historical work on the "ideas and practices of rationality", as she termed the basic categories of scientific investigation and accomplishment. Her meticulous historical studies of "reason", "proof", "fact", "observation", "scientific object", "data", and even "objectivity" itself, masterfully demonstrate how such seemingly universal concepts have changed dramatically since the seventeenth century, according to the statement of the jury. Founded by businessman and philanthropist Dan David, the prize is awarded every year to individuals who have proven exceptional, distinct excellence in the sciences, arts, humanities, public service and business. This year, three awards were presented each in science history, bioethics, and personalized medicine. The award ceremony will take place on May 6, 2018.

The prize, named after the Israeli businessman Dan David, is awarded every year to individuals who have excelled in technological, scientific, social, or cultural areas. This year, three prizes were awarded each in science history, bioethics, and personalized medicine. The award ceremony will take place on May 6, 2018.

Lorraine Daston has been Director and Scientific Member at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin since 1995. She is an honorary professor at the Humboldt University in Berlin, and in the past has held visiting professorships at Harvard University (2002-2003) and the University of Chicago (2005-2008). As a recipient of the Pfizer Prize of the History of Science Society and the Federal Cross of Merit (2010), Daston is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences as well as Corresponding Member of the British Academy and member of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Leopoldina.

JE

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