08/26/2026
The American Philosophical Association (APA) and the Phi Beta Kappa Society (ΦBK) are pleased to announce that Felipe De Brigard, Duke University, and Sarah Robins, Purdue University, have won the 2026 Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize for Philosophical Achievement and Contribution. Awarded annually by ΦBK in conjunction with the APA, this prize recognizes outstanding achievement in the field of philosophy. Each recipient will be awarded an honorarium of $25,000.
The Lebowitz Prize was established in 2012 by a generous bequest from Eve Lewellis Lebowitz in honor of her late husband, Martin R. Lebowitz, a distinguished philosophical critic. Each year, the prize recognizes two philosophers who hold contrasting views on a significant philosophical question of current interest. Through the annual Lebowitz Symposium and related public programming, the prize promotes philosophical inquiry while demonstrating the value of reasoned dialogue in exploring complex ideas.
Professor De Brigard and Professor Robins' topic for the 2026 Lebowitz Prize is "The Distinctiveness of Memory." Their dialogue explores a fundamental question at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience: What distinguishes memory from other cognitive capacities? While Professor De Brigard questions whether memory can be defined by a single distinguishing characteristic, Professor Robins argues that it remains a distinctive feature of human cognition. Together, their contrasting perspectives embody the spirit of intellectual exchange at the heart of the Lebowitz Prize. They will present their views and engage in discussion at the annual Lebowitz Symposium, held during an upcoming American Philosophical Association divisional meeting, and in an episode of the podcast “Key Conversations with Phi Beta Kappa.”
Learn more about this year's winners here: https://www.pbk.org/2026-lebowitz-prize-winners
