2 philosophers share $1.5 million Kluge Prize for humanities awarded by Library of Congress

WASHINGTON – Two philosophers have been honoured with a prize handed out by the Library of Congress for fields not covered by the Nobel prizes.

The Library of Congress announced Tuesday that Jurgen Habermas (HOB-uhr-MAHS) and Charles Taylor will share the $1.5 million John W. Kluge (KLOO-ghee) Prize for humanities.

They are the ninth and tenth winners of the prize, which was first awarded in 2000 and was handed out most recently in 2012. It was endowed by philanthropist John Kluge and honours achievement in fields including history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology and religion.

Habermas and Taylor will split the $1.5 million award.

Habermas is an 86-year-old German whose books include “The Theory of Communicative Action.” Taylor is an 83-year-old Canadian whose best-known work is “Sources of the Self.”