Stephen T. Asma

Stephen T. Asma, born in 1966, is an American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at Columbia College Chicago. He is considered an interdisciplinary figure in contemporary philosophy, and his research moves between the philosophy of mind, cognitive science, evolutionary biology, religious studies, aesthetics, and popular culture. Asma is also a co-founder of the "Mind, Science, and Culture" research group at Columbia College Chicago.

One of the central axes of his work is the study of imagination and its role in human cognition. In his book "The Evolution of Imagination," he views imagination not as a marginal or merely artistic force, but as an evolutionary and cognitive capacity that plays a role in adaptation, prediction, narrative construction, improvisation, and cultural creation. In his collaborative works with Rami Gabriel, including "The Emotional Mind," he emphasizes the affective roots of cognition and culture.

Asma has also addressed the history and philosophy of monsters and fear. His book "On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears" shows how the image of monsters in culture, myth, religion, science, and politics reflects human anxieties and moral and psychological boundaries. In his book "Why We Need Religion," he also looks at religion from a naturalistic and Darwinian perspective, arguing that religion, regardless of the truth of its metaphysical claims, has played an important role in managing emotions such as grief, anger, fear, attachment, and care.

His other works include "Against Fairness," "Buddha for Beginners," "The Gods Drink Whiskey," and "The Evolution of Mind." His writings have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times, Aeon, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Skeptic, and a defining feature of his work is the attempt to explain human experiences, from religion and art to fear and imagination, in a philosophical language that is close to the empirical sciences and everyday life.