Berggruen Institute

Last updated

Berggruen Institute
Formation2010;15 years ago (2010)
Founders
46-5602320
Registration no.C3671781
Location
Revenue$16,635,720 [1] (2022)
Expenses$18,889,571 [1] (2022)
Endowment $1 billion [2] (2024)
Staff30 [3] (2022)
Website www.berggruen.org OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Berggruen Institute is a think tank based in Los Angeles.

Contents

History

Berggruen Institute was founded in 2010 by Nicolas Berggruen and Nathan Gardels to research and publish on topics related to governance, economics, geopolitics, and technology. [4] [5]

In 2014, the Institute established The WorldPost, an online publication in a joint initiative with HuffPost and later The Washington Post . [6]

In 2015, the Institute created its Philosophy and Culture Center to research the philosophical foundations of global political systems. [7] [8] In the same year, the Institute established the Berggruen Prize for Philosophy & Culture and a fellowship program to sponsor scholars to do research at major universities in China, the United Kingdom, and the United States for two years. [7]

Councils and committees

Council on the Future of Europe

The Council on the Future of Europe is a committee focused on policy and public debate concerning European integration. [9] In May 2013, the council held a "town hall" meeting endorsed by the French President Francois Hollande, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and Italian labor minister. The council, along with Germany’s labor minister, Ursula von der Leyen, proposed an investment, training, and jobs program for Europe. The program eventually became a part of European policy in January 2015 when European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker proposed the 315 billion euro Investment Plan. [10]

The Think Long Committee for California

The Think Long Committee for California is a bipartisan group that develops methods for improving governance in California. In November 2011, the Committee published its report, A Blueprint to Renew California. [11] In 2014, the committee supported SB 1253, "The Ballot Initiative Transparency Act", which was approved on September 28, 2014. [12] The committee also supported Proposition 2 in 2014, which established a "Rainy Day Fund" to allocate a percentage of annual revenue toward state debt and to safeguard against economic downturns. [13]

Notable programs and awards

Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture

The Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture is an annual award established in 2016 by the Berggruen Institute. It awards US$1 million to thinkers whose ideas have shaped human self-understanding and advancement. An independent jury selects the laureates each year. [14]

Recipients include philosopher Charles Taylor for modern identity; [15] Onora O'Neill for ethics and international justice; [16] Martha C. Nussbaum for emotion in moral and political philosophy; [17] Ruth Bader Ginsburg for gender equality in law; [18] Paul Farmer for public health and human rights; [19] Peter Singer for effective altruism; [20] Kojin Karatani for interdisciplinary scholarship, [21] and Patricia Hill Collins for intersectionality and social justice. [22]

Berggruen Prize Essay Competition

In 2024, the Berggruen Institute established the Berggruen Prize Essay Competition as an annual contest to complement the existing Philosophy & Culture Prize. [23] The contest accepts essays in both English and Chinese, with a prize of US$25,000 awarded to the winner in each language category. [24]

Campuses

China Center

The Berggruen China Center is an interdisciplinary academic research institute at Peking University. [25] [26] Berggruen China Center was founded on December 19, 2018, as the Berggruen Research Center, following a joint initiative between the Berggruen Institute and Peking University, in which the Berggruen Institute provided $25.5 million in funding in June 2018. [27] It runs a fellowship program and hosts symposia and conferences. [27] [28]

Scholars' Campus

Scholars' Campus, also known as Monteverdi, is a planned 447-acre headquarters and residential research center for the Berggruen Institute, located west of the I-405 freeway and northeast of the Getty Center in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains. [29] [30] Berggruen acquired the land in 2014 for $15 million. [31]

It is designed by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with Gensler serving as executive architect. [30]

Publications

Noema Magazine

Noema Magazine was originally founded as The WorldPost in 2014 as a joint initiative with HuffPost . [32] [6] In 2017, The Washington Post began publishing The WorldPost's content, featuring global perspectives through op-eds, features, and videos. [6]

In 2020, The WorldPost was renamed Noema Magazine and launched a print edition in addition to its digital content. [32] Noema covers a range of subjects, including philosophy, governance, geopolitics, economics, technology, and culture. [6] As of 2025, Nathan Gardels serves as its editor-in-chief. [33]

Media

Studio B

Studio B, also known as Berggruen Salon, is the media division of the Berggruen Institute. It is directed by Alex Gardels and Nathalia Ramos An, along with Nick Goddard who serves as producer and head of development. [34] The Studio produces content focused on the intersection of technology, philosophy, and culture. Its projects include a salon series featuring conversations between Eric Schmidt and Ashton Kutcher, and Yuval Noah Harari and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. [34]

Studio B also works with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on programming related to changes in cinema and produces the Berggruen Institute's podcast, Futurology. [34]

In June 2024, the studio hosted a private discussion on artificial intelligence in filmmaking with Ashton Kutcher and Eric Schmidt. [35] The event drew backlash after Kutcher praised OpenAI's video-generation tool, Sora, suggesting it could replace traditional film crews and stunt performers. [35] [36] Critics condemned the remarks as undermining creative labor, which sparked a wider controversy regarding the promotion of AI in Hollywood. [35]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nonprofit Explorer: Berggruen Institute". ProPublica. May 9, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Karstadt: "Das Karstadt-Abenteuer. Es war dumm von mir, ein persönlicher Fehler" - WELT". DIE WELT.
  3. ↑ Steinberger, Michael (April 6, 2022). "How the 'Homeless Billionaire' Became a Philosopher King". The New York Times.
  4. ↑ "On his Santa Monica mountaintop, a billionaire envisions lofty thoughts on politics and culture". Los Angeles Times. April 30, 2016.
  5. ↑ Steinberger, Michael (April 6, 2022). "How the 'Homeless Billionaire' Became a Philosopher King". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 3, 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Noema a new magazine: ideas and culture for a transforming world". Malta Independent. July 31, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Berggruen Institute Adds Cultural Focus, $1 Million Annual Prize". September 16, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Nicolas Berggruen Wants to Bridge the East-West Gap (Published 2015)". The New York Times . September 15, 2015.
  9. ↑ ""Europe is the solution, not the problem"". Jacques Delors Institute. September 9, 2011. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Juncker Plan exceeds original €315 billion investment target". European Commission. July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  11. ↑ Gardels, Nathan; Berggruen, Nicolas (January 20, 2012). "A Blueprint to Renew California". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Governor Brown Signs Ballot Reform Measure". State of California. September 27, 2014. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  13. ↑ Megerian, Chris (November 4, 2014). "Californians OK Proposition 2, on rainy day fund". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Canadian Philosopher Wins $1 Million Prize (Published 2016)". The New York Times . October 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (October 4, 2016). "Canadian Philosopher Wins $1 Million Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  16. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (October 3, 2017). "Onora O'Neill Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize for Philosophy". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  17. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (October 30, 2018). "Martha Nussbaum Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  18. ↑ Schuessler, Jennifer (October 23, 2019). "Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 5, 2020.
  19. ↑ Carmel, Julie (December 16, 2020). "Paul Farmer Is Awarded the $1 Million Berggruen Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  20. ↑ Gharib, Malaka (September 29, 2021). "Why Peter Singer — The 'Drowning Child' Ethicist — Is Giving Away His $1 Million Prize". NPR. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  21. ↑ Bilefsky, Dan (December 8, 2022). "Kojin Karatani Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  22. ↑ Ross, Janell (October 25, 2023). "The Winner of a $1 Million Philosophy Prize Sees a Silver Lining to Ideas Getting Attacked". Time Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  23. ↑ Gardels, Nathan (February 23, 2024). "Announcing The Berggruen Prize Essay Competition" – via www.noemamag.com.
  24. ↑ Weinberg, Justin (March 6, 2024). "Berggruen Launches New Philosophy Essay Competition - Daily Nous". dailynous.com.
  25. ↑ "Client Challenge". www.ft.com.
  26. ↑ Song, Bing (July 21, 2021). Song, Bing (ed.). Intelligence and Wisdom: Artificial Intelligence Meets Chinese Philosophers. Springer Nature. pp. 1–14. doi:10.1007/978-981-16-2309-7_1 – via Springer Link.
  27. 1 2 "中国哲学如何看待人工智能？儒释道立场有别丨专访宋冰". m.bjnews.com.cn.
  28. ↑ Candid. "Berggruen Institute Invests $25.5 Million for Beijing Research Center". Philanthropy News Digest (PND). Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  29. ↑ Kahn, Gabriel (December 21, 2017). "This Billionaire Is Building a "21st Century Monastery" for His Own Think Tank". LAmag - Culture, Food, Fashion, News & Los Angeles. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  30. 1 2 Saarinen, Eero (August 23, 2017). "Herzog & de Meuron reveal plans for Berggruen Institute site north of the Getty Center". Los Angeles Times.
  31. ↑ "How the 'Homeless Billionaire' Became a Philosopher King (Published 2022)". April 6, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
  32. 1 2 "A new journal establishes its identity". TLS. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Noema aims to help academics, policy makers think differently". WTOP News. October 7, 2021.
  34. 1 2 3 Gardner, Chris (July 14, 2025). "Daniel Kwan and VR Pioneer Jaron Lanier to Discuss Storytelling Versus Algorithm at Studio B Salon". The Hollywood Reporter .
  35. 1 2 3 Shanfeld, Ethan (June 6, 2024). "Ashton Kutcher Says Soon 'You'll Be Able to Render a Whole Movie' Using AI: 'The Bar Is Going to Have to Go Way Up' in Hollywood".
  36. ↑ Berger, Chloe. "Ashton Kutcher sides with the enemy over actor and writer colleagues in AI debate: 'I can just generate and then watch my own movie'". Fortune.
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