Sam Keen

Samuel McMurray Keen (November 23, 1931 – March 19, 2025) was an American author, academic and philosopher who is best known for his exploration of questions regarding love, life, wonder, religion, and being a male in contemporary society.

Background Samuel McMurray Keen was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on November 23, 1931, and grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, and Wilmington, Delaware. He earned a bachelor's degree from Ursinus College, a doctorate in theology from Harvard Divinity School, and a PhD in religious philosophy from Princeton University.

Career Keen worked as a freelance journalist for some time, and authored several books about spirituality and religion. He was also featured in the 2003 documentary Flight from Death.

Keen gained notice for his various self-help books and workshops. They lived on a ranch in Sonoma, California.

Books

In print Prodigal Father, Wayward Son (2015) In the Absence of God: Dwelling in the Presence of the Sacred (2010) Sightings: Extraordinary Encounters with Ordinary Birds (Chronicle Books, 2007) Learning to Fly: Reflections on Fear, Trust, and the Joy of Letting Go (1999) To Love and Be Loved (Bantam, 1997) Hymns to an Unknown God (Bantam, 1994) Inward Bound: Exploring the Geography of Your Emotions (Bantam, 1992) Fire in the Belly: On Being a Man (Bantam, 1991) Your Mythic Journey (Tarcher, 1990) Faces of the Enemy. Reflections of the Hostile Imagination. (Harper and Row, San Francisco 1986)

Out of print The Passionate Life (Harper and Row) Beginnings Without End (Harper and Row, 1975) To a Dancing God (Harper and Row, 1970) Apology for Wonder (Harper and Row, 1969) Gabriel Marcel (John Knox Press, 1967)