| TRIBUTES have been paid to Sir John Templeton (pictured above), who died on 8 July at the age of 95.
A financier and philanthropist, who believed that rigorous research and cutting-edge science were at the heart of human progress, he established the Templeton Prize in 1972, the largest annual award given to an individual.
He went on to establish the John Templeton Foundation in 1987 to work on what he called “the big questions” of science, religion, and human purpose. The Foundation gives $70 million annually in grants, funding scientific research in theoretical physics, cosmology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and social science relating to “love, forgiveness, creativity, purpose, and the nature and origin of religious belief”.
Sir John did not claim to be a theologian, describing his approach as “humble”, but wanted to support the work of those “who might deepen our knowledge and love of God”. Early winners of the Templeton Prize were high-profile figures, including Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Billy Graham, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn.
More recently, the awards have gone to scientists, including the Revd Dr John Polkinghorne. A Polish cosmologist and Roman Catholic priest, Dr Michal Heller, won the 2008 prize for his work on the concept of the universe (News, 14 March).
Sir John, who began his career in global financial investments on Wall Street during the Great Depression, died in Nassau, in the Bahamas, where he had made his home. Born in Tennessee but a naturalised British citizen, he was knighted by the Queen in 1987 for his many philanthropic accomplishments.
www.templeton.org
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