About
Martha C. Nussbaum serves as the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, holding cross-appointments in the Law School, Philosophy Department, and Divinity School, while also maintaining associate status in the Classics Department and Political Science Department alongside membership in the Committee on Southern Asian Studies.
Her academic foundation includes a B.A. from New York University (1969), followed by M.A. (1971) and Ph.D. (1975) degrees from Harvard University, establishing the groundwork for her interdisciplinary career spanning law, philosophy, and ethics.
Nussbaum's research fundamentally reshapes discourse across Ethics, Moral Philosophy, and Philosophy of Law, with pioneering contributions to Political Philosophy through her Capabilities Approach framework, Feminist Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy, and the Philosophy of Emotions. Her work consistently bridges theoretical rigor with urgent policy applications in human development, constitutional design, and global justice.
Nussbaum's extraordinary scholarly impact is recognized through numerous prestigious honors:
- Brandeis Creative Arts Award in Non-Fiction (1990)
- PEN Spielvogel-Diamondstein Award (1991)
- Ness Book Award of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (1998)
- book award of the North American Society for Social Philosophy (2000)
- University of Chicago Faculty Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching (2001)
- Grawemeyer Award in Education (2002)
- Barnard College Medal of Distinction (2003)
- Association of American University Publishers Professional and Scholarly Book Award for Law (2004)
- Radcliffe Alumnae Recognition Award (2007)
- A.SK award from the German Social Science Research Council (WZB) (2009)
- Centennial Medal of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University (2010)
- Prince of Asturias Prize in the Social Sciences (2012)
- American Philosophical Association's Philip Quinn Prize (2015)
- Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy (2016)
- Don M. Randel Prize for Achievement in the Humanities (2018)
- Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture (2018)
- Holberg Prize (2021)
- Balzan Prize (2022)
- Academician of the Academy of Finland
- Fellow of the British Academy
- Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member of the American Philosophical Society
- American Philosophical Society's Henry M. Phillips Prize in Jurisprudence
As founder and coordinator of the Center for Comparative Constitutionalism, Nussbaum drives cutting-edge research in constitutional theory while maintaining influential leadership roles including American Philosophical Association Presidency (1999-2000) and service as research advisor to the United Nations University's World Institute for Development Economics Research (1986-1993).
