Keen, Sam
Biography
Keen was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 23, 1931, to teacher Ruth McMurray and choir master James Alvin Keen, and was raised as a Presbyterian. He received an undergraduate degree from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, a doctorate in theology from Harvard Divinity School and a doctorate in philosophy from Princeton University.
He was a celebrated author, journalist, producer, and philospher. He spent twenty years as an editor for Psychology Today, wrote thirteen books, and coproduced a PBS documentary entitled Faces of the Enemy. He taught seminars at the Esalent Institute for fifty years, beginning in 1969. He was a close collaborator of Michael Murphy, who founded in the Esalen Institute, and a leading figure in the human potential movement.
Citation:
"Sonoma bids farewell to Sam Keen, ‘hammer-swinging philosopher’." Sonoma News, April 2, 2005. Accessed May 28, 2025. https://www.sonomanews.com/article/news/sam-keen-sonoma-dies-philosopher/Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Jessica Gaynor "Altered States of Consciousness" course symposium recordings
This collection includes recordings of a symposium organized by Jessica Gaynor, who taught a class on altered states of consciousness as a graduate student at the University of Houston. Leading figures in the field attended and it was fully supported by the university. Speakers included Andrew Weil, Ram Dass, Raja Rao, Charles Tart, Sam Keen, and John Lilly.