Austin Dacey, Ph.D.

Austin Dacey is a writer and human rights advocate based in New York City. His writings have appeared in numerous publications including the New York Times, USA Today, and Science. In 2008 he released The Secular Conscience: Why Belief Belongs in Public Life. Arguing for the central role of conscience in political and moral discourse, the book "lifted quite a few eyebrows" according to the New York Times. Embraced by figures as diverse as Sam Harris and Father Richard John Neuhaus, The Secular Conscience was noted in North American, European, and Arabic media, and called "timely and important" by Asharq Alawsat.

A former United Nations representative for the Center for Inquiry, Austin Dacey 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. In 2007 he helped to organize the Secular Islam Summit. He currently serves as an adviser to FREEMUSE: The World Forum on Music and Censorship. He holds a doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy and has taught most recently at Polytechnic Institute of New York University.

His PT blog is The Secular Conscience.