Vinciane Despret, philosopher of science at the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Liege, has just been awarded the Moron Grand Prize 2021. Awarded by the French Academy, this prize rewards the author of a book or a work promoting a new ethics. Congratulations!
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he French Academy (Académie française) has just announced the winners of its 2021 prizes. Among them, some Belgians, but especially Vinciane Despret, philosopher of sciences within the research unit TRAVERSES of the ULiège. Created in 1987, the Moron Grand Prize rewards "the French author of a book or a work promoting a new ethics". Already awarded with many prizes, Vinciane Despret receives this one for the whole of her work. In March 2019 Vinciane Despret had been awarded by the Royal Academy of Belgium for her work "Au Bonheur des morts".
Prolific author of articles, conferences and various contributions - not to mention her various teachings - Vinciane Despret curated the great exhibition Bêtes et hommes, at the Grande halle de La Villette, in Paris. She has also been awarded prestigious prizes such as the Prix des Humanités Scientifiques awarded by Sciences Po, in Paris, in September 2008 and the Wernaers International Fund for Research and Dissemination of Knowledge Prize. A perpetually alert mind, very interested on occasion in the strategy of the "contre-pied", Vinciane Despret now intends to tackle a seemingly ludicrous, paradoxical question - perhaps even a taboo. "How do people define the possible relations with beings characterized by quite other modes of presence and existence that are the deceased? And how do they perplexingly explore the possible registers for thinking about the action, influence, absence, and presence of the dead?" she wonders. Returning by this means to the anthropology of humans, she hopes, she underlines, "to study the modalities of entering into a relationship with the dead, which are much more diverse than the traditional doxa of psychologists would have us believe.
A look back at the honor bestowed on Lisette Lombé on Thursday April 9 at ULiège.
Astrophysicist, philosopher and poet Aurélien Barrau, renowned for his commitment to the defense of nature, opened the RÊVE GÉNÉRAL festival on Tuesday evening, bringing together art, science and democracy. Replay available.
On March 23th, the ceremony honouring the PhD Graduates of ULiège was held at the University of Liege. 254 PhDs and 3 Ambassadors were honored.
