About
Austin Dacey is a philosopher, author, and human rights activist whose work on issues of freedom of conscience and expression has been profiled by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC World Service, NPR, and Voice of America. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including USA Today, Dissent, and the New York Times, which ran his 2006 op-ed, "Believing in Doubt." He currently serves as an adviser to Freemuse: The World Forum on Music and Censorship and in 2010 he created The Impossible Music Sessions, a forum in New York City for banned music from around the world, and The Ethical Ear, a blog dedicated to the moral analysis of the soundscape.
A representative to the United Nations for the International Humanist and Ethical Union, Austin has participated in international debates regarding freedom of expression, religion, and the "dialogue among civilizations," speaking before the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. His 2008 book, The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life, which argued for the central role of conscience in political and moral discourse, was embraced by figures as diverse as Sam Harris and Father Richard John Neuhaus. It was noted in North American, European, and Arabic media, and called "timely and important" by Asharq Alawsat. He holds a doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy and has taught most recently at Polytechnic Institute of New York University in Brooklyn.