Damien Keown

Damien Keown (born 1951) is a British academic, bioethicist, and a leading authority on Buddhist bioethics. He holds the position of Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Goldsmiths, University of London. Keown's academic journey began with a B.A. in Religious Studies from the University of Lancaster in 1977, followed by a D.Phil. from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford in 1986. His scholarly contributions delve into the intersection of Buddhism and contemporary ethical issues. He has published significant research on the Buddhist perspective on suicide, the ethical considerations surrounding brain death and organ donation, and the relationship between Buddhism and ecology. Among his notable works are "The Nature of Buddhist Ethics" (1992) and "Buddhism & Bioethics" (2001). He also contributed to Oxford University's "Very Short Introduction" series with books on Buddhism and Buddhist ethics. Keown has served as an editor for the "Routledge Encyclopedia of Buddhism" and is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.