Canadian philosopher Ian Hacking accepted Norway's 4.5 million kroner ($800,000) Holberg Prize at a ceremony Wednesday for his research on the philosophy of science.
The 73-year-old Vancouver native was tapped for the honor in August for his research on the impact of history and culture on the formation of scientific thought. He received the award from Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit in the city of Bergen in southwestern Norway.
"Ian Hacking's work reverberates throughout the humanities and social sciences, reframing our understanding of the interactions between the natural and the social worlds," the University of Bergen awards committee said in the prize citation.
Science "is always created in a historical situation, and to understand why present science is as it is, it is not sufficient to know that it is 'true,' or confirmed. We have to know the historical context of its emergence," it added.
Hacking, who holds joint appointments at the University of Toronto and College de France, described his work in an acceptance speech as "finding out how to find out" by analyzing scientific discoveries in "historical time."
He is best known for his seminal 1975 work "The Emergence of Probability," which explored the idea of probability _ a cornerstone of modern science _ first taking shape in the 17th century. More recent work focuses on topics ranging from obesity to autism.
The Holberg prize was created in 2003 by the Norwegian government to honor work in the humanities, social sciences, law and theology. It was named in memory of Norwegian playwright and author Ludvig Holberg, who lived from 1684 to 1754.
The 2008 prize went to American literary scholar Fredric R. Jameson.
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On the Net:
http://www.holbergprisen.no
