The Leonardo da Vinci Society for the Study of Thinking and the Da Vinci Medallion were created to award scholarship in the realm of human thinking. The name was chosen to honor Leonardo da Vinci, the archetypal Renaissance man.
In 2005, the inaugural chair was awarded to Professor Edward de Bono, for his work in the field of creative thinking and in the direct teaching of thinking as a skill. Dr. Margaret J. Wheatley, credited with establishing new approaches thinking about organizations, accepted the award in 2006. In the fall of 2006, the society announced that Fritjof Capra would receive the 2007 award in recognition for his work in systems thinking.
Award recipients include: