Stephen Asma
Stephen T. Asma, PhD, is Professor of Philosophy in the
Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences at Columbia College
Chicago, where he currently holds the title of Distinguished Scholar.
Dr. Asma is the author of several books: Against Fairness: In Favor of Favoritism
(University of Chicago Press, forthcoming); Why
I Am A Buddhist (Hampton Roads, 2010); On
Monsters: an Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears (Oxford University Press,
2009); Stuffed Animals and Pickled Heads:
The Culture and Evolution of Natural History Museums (Oxford University
Press, 2001); Following Form and Function
(Northwestern University Press, 1996); and Buddha
for Beginners (Hampton Roads, 2008).
He frequently writes on topics that bridge the humanities
and sciences, including articles for the Chicago
Tribune, In These Times magazine,
the Skeptical Inquirer, the Chronicle Review, Skeptic magazine, and Chicago Public Radio's news-magazine show Eight-Forty-Eight. He has been an
invited lecturer at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History,
Harvard’s Museum of Comparative Zoology, and Chicago’s Field Museum. He has also
appeared on BBC’s World News, Chicago Public Television’s “Chicago Tonight,”
Oprah.com, and MTV.
In 2003, Dr. Asma was Visiting Professor at the Buddhist
Institute in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia. There he taught "Buddhist
Philosophy" as part of its graduate program in Buddhist Studies. His book The Gods Drink Whiskey: Stumbling Toward
Enlightenment in the Land of the
Tattered Buddha (HarperOne, 2005) explores the Theravada Buddhism of the
region. He has also traveled and studied in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong,
and Mainland China, eventually living in Shanghai, China in 2005.
In 2009, Dr. Asma became a Fellow of the LAS Research Group
in Mind, Science and Culture at Columbia College Chicago. He is currently
researching the connections between affective neuroscience and philosophy of
mind.
For more information on Dr. Asma, please visit his website: stephenasma.com.
Contact Dr. Asma:
Mail:
Dr. Stephen Asma
Columbia College Chicago
Department of HHSS
600 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL
60605
Phone:
312.369.7583
Email:
sasma@colum.edu
