MADRID, May 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S. philosopher Michael J. Sandel has won the Princess of Asturias Award for Social Sciences, the foundation said Wednesday.
The Princess of Asturias Foundation describes him as a "leading advocate of communitarian theory, a current that emerged in the late 20th century contrary to individualistic and liberal stances".
Sandel's line of philosophical thinking "consists in advocating justice that serves the common good, in which governments can intervene to avoid the excesses of the market economy and social inequalities".
His books have been translated into 23 languages, some of them being "Liberalism and the Limits of Justice" and "Democracy's Discontent".
He holds honorary degrees from Stretch University and Brandeis University and is member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
This is the sixth of the eight Princess of Asturias Awards to be bestowed this year and the remaining awards will be announced in the following weeks.
The Princess of Asturias Awards, which will be delivered next fall in Oviedo in northern region of Asturias, "are aimed at rewarding the scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions."
