Taking aim at 21st-century issues
The biennial Tang Prize is Taiwan’s first international academic prize conferred upon recipients from throughout the world. Ten years in, we come to the awarding of the Fifth Tang Prizes, which are given out in the four fields of Sustainable Development, Biopharmaceutical Science, Sinology, and Rule of Law. From this list one can see that the founders of the Tang Prize feel an especially strong concern for matters that touch upon the social sciences.
Tang Prize Foundation CEO Chern Jenn-chuan explains, “We’re living in the 21st century, and the natural sciences alone are no longer sufficient to resolve the challenges we face. People play a crucial role.” To address the issue of sustainable development, for example, besides tapping into the fruits of basic scientific research, it is becoming increasingly important that people get out and advocate if we are to achieve real resolutions. Rule of law, meanwhile, sets the rules of engagement between people, between individuals and society, and between states. For the world to enjoy peaceful co-existence, the rule of law is indispensable.
The way the social sciences pay simultaneous attention to a diverse range of phenomena is very much in tune with the melting pot of diversity that was the Tang Dynasty. This year’s Sinology laureate, Jessica Rawson, has particular expertise in Chinese art and material culture. Unlike previous Sinology laureates, who have generally emphasized philosophy and literature, she discusses the mixing of Eastern and Western cultures from the perspective of the visual arts. Wang Gungwu, the fourth Sinology laureate, is a historian from Malaysia and Singapore whose understanding of Chinese history is informed by a Southeast-Asian perspective. He thus provides historical viewpoints that differ from those of the past, which have tended to center on the North China Plain. His departure from the prevailing tradition of centrism is very much in line with the Tang Prize’s focus on innovation, diversity, and fusion.
Chern Jenn-chuan states that the Tang Prize laureates can provide solutions to 21st-century issues. (photo by Jimmy Lin)