Felipe De Brigard of Duke University and Sarah Robins (ΦBK, Hendrix College) of Purdue University have been named recipients of the 2026 Dr. Martin R. Lebowitz and Eve Lewellis Lebowitz Prize for Philosophical Achievement and Contribution. Their proposed symposium topic, “The Distinctiveness of Memory,” centers on a fundamental question at the intersection of philosophy and cognitive science: What, if anything, distinguishes memory from other cognitive capacities?
Awarded annually by the Phi Beta Kappa Society in conjunction with the American Philosophical Association (APA), the Lebowitz Prize brings together two philosophers with contrasting perspectives on a significant question of current interest. Established in 2012 through a bequest from Eve Lewellis Lebowitz in honor of her husband, philosophical critic Martin R. Lebowitz, the prize reflects the value of reasoned disagreement as a means of testing ideas and deepening understanding. Each recipient receives a $25,000 honorarium.
That commitment to thoughtful disagreement is especially fitting for De Brigard and Robins, who have been friends and colleagues since graduate school. They have spent years discussing the nature of memory, often approaching the same questions from different angles.
De Brigard wants to know whether memory can be clearly separated from other forms of cognition, such as perception and imagination. He emphasizes instead the processes and neural mechanisms that memory shares with other cognitive capacities.
Robins, meanwhile, places greater emphasis on what sets memory apart. Consider its relationship to learning, which often develops through repetition, pattern recognition, and generalization across multiple experiences. Memories, by contrast, develop from one-time or otherwise unique experiences. Understanding that distinction, Robins argues, can influence how we think about teaching and learning and how we design and interact with intelligent systems.
Years of conversation between the two philosophers, however, have complicated what once appeared to be a clear divide. Robins recalls that their positions were once expressed in more mutually exclusive terms: “Memory requires memory traces” for her; “memory is reconstructive” for De Brigard. “As we’ve engaged with each other over the years, our views have both softened to concede points in each other’s direction,” Robins says. “That process has helped each of us identify the issues that matter most to us and focus our respective attention there.”
Today, both describe their differences largely as a matter of emphasis rather than outright disagreement. They even joke about each making the other’s views more comprehensible to their students than their own.
For Robins, the prize carries an additional level of meaning because of a personal connection to Phi Beta Kappa. “The first philosophy class I ever took was from John Churchill [9th Secretary and CEO of the Society], who was then Dean and Professor of Philosophy at Hendrix College,” Robins recalls. “Professor Churchill, as he will always be to me, helped to inspire my love of philosophy and shape my understanding of what philosophy is. He delighted in philosophical conversation, and he had such energy and joy for discussing questions, puzzles, and challenges. He liked to say that cultivating a love of philosophy provided a lifelong antidote to boredom.”
For De Brigard, receiving the prize alongside a longtime friend makes the opportunity especially meaningful. “It is an extraordinary honor, and it is a joy to share it with a friend I love to disagree with,” he says.
De Brigard and Robins will continue their exchange at the annual Lebowitz Symposium during an upcoming APA divisional meeting and in an episode of Key Conversations with Phi Beta Kappa.
By Micayla Nadeau-Williams, Assistant Director, Development, Events, & Awards