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 Esalen 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 on altered states of consciousness organized by Jessica Gaynor, who was a graduate student in Clinical Psychology at the University of Houston in the 1970s. Speakers include Sam Keen, John Lilly, Raja Rao, Ram Dass, Charles Tart, and Andrew Weil. It also coontains an interview with Jessica Gaynor and Andrew Weil on their recollections of the event.