Damien Keown (born 1951) is a

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academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

bioethicist Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, med ...

, and authority on

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

bioethics. He is Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at

Goldsmiths A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold. In German, the Goldsmith family name is written Goldschmidt. Goldsmith may also refer to: Places * Goldsmith, Indiana, United States * Goldsmith, New York, United States, a h ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. Keown earned a B.A. in religious studies from the

University of Lancaster , mottoeng = Truth lies open to all , established = , endowment = £13.9 million , budget = £317.9 million , type = Public , city = Bailrigg, City of Lancaster , country = England , coor = , campus = Bailrigg , faculty = ...

in 1977 and a Ph.D. from the

Faculty of Oriental Studies The Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (formerly the Faculty of Oriental Studies), is a subdivision of the University of Oxford. The faculty is engaged in a broad range of research and teaching on modern and historical Asian and Middl ...

at the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

in 1986. Keown has published research examining Buddhism and the ethics of suicide, the issue of brain death as it relates to

organ donation Organ donation is the process when a person allows an organ of their own to be removed and transplanted to another person, legally, either by consent while the donor is alive or dead with the assent of the next of kin. Donation may be for re ...

, and the ethical relationship between Buddhism and

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...

. Keown's published works include ''The Nature of Buddhist Ethics'' (1992) and ''Buddhism & Bioethics'' (1995). He has also served as editor for the ''Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism'' and produced two books in Oxford University's '' Very Short Introduction'' series, one on Buddhism and the other on Buddhist ethics. He is a Fellow of the

Royal Asiatic Society The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, commonly known as the Royal Asiatic Society (RAS), was established, according to its royal charter of 11 August 1824, to further "the investigation of subjects connected with and for the en ...

Bibliography

* ''The Nature of Buddhist Ethics''. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 1992 * ''Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. * ''Buddhism and Abortion''. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1999. * ''Contemporary Buddhist Ethics''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2000. * ''Buddhism & Bioethics''. London: Macmillan Palgrave, 2001 * ''Buddhist Ethics: A Very Short Introduction''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.

References

1951 births Academics of Goldsmiths, University of London Academics of the University of London Alumni of Lancaster University Alumni of the University of Oxford Bioethicists British philosophers British orientalists British religion academics British scholars of Buddhism Buddhist studies scholars Living people {{UK-philosopher-stub