Steven Pinker from Harvard University and Peter Singer from Princeton University were awarded the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Humanities and Social Sciences for bringing crucial questions to the forefront of public discourse. These include the role of rationality, scientific knowledge, and humanistic values, as well as the moral status of animals. Their impactful work has played a significant role in shaping the cultural and legal landscape of the present day.

“Peter Singer,” the committee stated, “has marked a turning point by extending the scope of ethics, providing a basis for their application to the animal domain. This signal contribution has had major consequences for international animal welfare legislation as well as for moral progress.”

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