The Committee of the Republic of Slovenia for awarding awards and recognitions for outstanding achievements in scientific research and development activities, chaired by Nataša Vaupotič, pointed out that the works of Lenart Škof in the international sense represent an original contribution to modern philosophy and ethics, based on the phenomenon of breath and the ontology of love. 

Presentation and explanation of the winner: 

In his scientific monographs, Lenart Škof established two new fields in the international context of modern philosophy and ethics: respiratory (breathing) philosophy and philosophical-feminist ethics based on the ontological matrix of love. His works in the field of the philosophy of breath have been published by top international publishing houses and are highly relevant, as they enable connections to the medical and socio-ethical aspects of the current pandemic crisis, reflect on global climate change and the related universal right to air, and are also connected to modern politicians' breath, as can be seen, for example, in the broader context of the  'I can't breathe' movement. At the same time, Lenart Škof has founded a new theory of ethics. He connects the philosophy of intersubjectivity with so-called horizontal transcendence and the related spiritual-physical gestures of compassion and love. His main work, Antigone's Sister:  On the Matrix of Love, brings a new interpretation of the Greek myth of Antigone in this context and is an original contribution to a new ontology and ethics of love and compassion based on the matrix of femininity, which is an important message today. The works were created within the Koper Scientific Research Center, Institute for Philosophical Studies.

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