Lou Agosta, Ph.D.

Chicago, IL 60660

773-203-0269

LAgosta@UChicago.edu [alumnus]

CAREER SUMMARY

• Author of three academic, peer-reviewed books on empathy and three popular works:  Agosta book list: https://amzn.to/3ElbpnW   
• Experienced college (university) teacher (PhD.) with over ten years experience at college and graduate school level and a distinctive background in philosophy, psychology, ethics, the medical humanities, and literature
• Adjunct professor of the medical humanities, teaching Diagnostics and Empathy Lessons at Ross University Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, at Saint Anthony Hospital Chicago   
• Translator (from German) of Dilthey’s The Poet’s Imagination: Elements of a Poetics (with R. Makkreel)
• Media (Video) presentations including the One Minute Empathy Training:  video list: https://www.youtube.com/@louagosta

Publications by Lou Agosta

A Rumor of Empathy: Resistance, Narrative, Recovery, New York and London: Routledge (Taylor and Francis Group), 2015.

A Rumor of Empathy: Rewriting Empathy in the History of Philosophy, New York and London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.

Empathy in the Context of Philosophy, New York and London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2010.

Empathy: A Lazy Person’s Guide, illustrated by Alex Zonis. Chicago: Two Paris Press, 2020.

A Critical Review of a Philosophy of Empathy, Chicago: Two Pairs Press, 2019.

Empathy Lessons, Chicago: Two Pairs Press, 2018.

“Reflection on Empathy: Presence in Online Therapeutic Relations,” in Advances in Online Therapy: Emergence of a New Paradigm, Haim Weinberg, Arnon Rolnick, Adam Leighton, eds., Long: Routledge (Taylor and Francis), 2023: pp. 47–59. 

“Empathy: A Bridge Across the Digital Divide,” The Psychoanalytic Review, Vol. 109, No. 4, December 2022: 439–460.

“Empathy in Cyberspace: The Genie is Out of the Bottle,” in Theory and Practice of Online Therapy: Internet-delivered Interventions for Individuals, Groups, Families and Organization, Haim Weinberg and Arnon Rolnick, eds., London: Routledge (Taylor and Francis), 2019: pp. 34–46.

“Rewriting a ‘Delicacy of Empathy’: The Many Meanings of ‘Sympathy’ in David Hume,” Psicologia em Pesquisa.” Vol 8, no 1, Jan 2014: 3-15. DOI: 10.5327/Z1982-1247201400010002.

“A Rumor of Empathy: Reconstructing Heidegger’s Contribution to Empathy and Empathic Clinical Practice,”

Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy: A European Journal, 2013, DOI: 10.1007/s11019-13-9506-0. 

“A Heideggerian Approach to Empathy: Authentic Being With Others,” Existenz, Volume 6, Number 2, Spring 2011.

“Empathy and Sympathy in Ethics,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy [a peer reviewed online resource], http://www.iep.utm.edu/emp-symp/ March 2011

The Imagination of the Poet:  Elements of a Poetics, in Wilhelm Dilthey: Poetry and Experience: Selected Works: Volume V, edited by Rudolph Makkreel, pp. 29-173, Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1985.

“Subject Logic and Predicate Logic” by Friedrich Kaulbach in Contemporary German Philosophy: Volume 1, pp. 181-197, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, Pennsylvania, 1982.

“Objectivity Through Constructive Procedures” by Klaus Mainzer in Contemporary German Philosophy: Volume 2, pp. 153-175, Pennsylvania State University Press, University Park, Pennsylvania, 1983.

INVITED PRESENTATIONS: CONFERENCES AND TALKS

“Empathy is the New Love,” The Concept of Love and Its Meaning in Mystical-Theological, Literary, and Philosophical Contexts, Faculty of Roman-Catholic Theology, University of Bucharest; Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna; June 4, 2021

“Seven (7) Empathy Lessons for Executive Leadership,” The University of Chicago Alumni Mind Your Career Series, November 29, 2018 

“Evidence-Based Empathy Training in the Context of Neural Science,” Neurophilosophy Workshop, University of Chicago, October 12, 2018

“Empathy for Business Leadership,” The University Club of Chicago, 76 E. Monroe, Chicago, IL, July 13, 2018

“Empathy, Stress Reduction, and Brain Science,” Saint Anthony Psychiatry Open House (Invited Speaker), Chicago, IL, July 11, 2018

“Empathy, Stress (Reduction), and Neuroscience,” University of Chicago Graham School of Adult Education at the Admiral, May 12, 2018

“Building Leadership with Empathy,” The Palatine Jaycees, Palatine, IL April 28, 2018.

“Empathy Testing in Philip K. Dick’s Science Fiction Story ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep’ and Related Literature,” Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) Humanities Colloquium, September 22, 2017

“Empathy: What it is and why it is important,” Saint Anthony Hospital, Grand Rounds, Chicago, IL, February 22, 2017 

“Empathy in Literature,” Rush University Medical College, Grand Rounds, Chicago, IL, September 22, 2016

“Empathy: What it is and how it works,” Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Grand Rounds Extension Event, Chicago, IL, August 17, 2016

“Empathy: Your Unfair Competitive Advantage in Career Transition,” Right Management Power Networking Special Event,” Right Management, 525 W. Monroe, Chicago, IL, July 26, 2016

“The Secret Underground Story of Empathy,” University of Chicago Graham School Series on Freedom and the Polis, Bastille Day, July 14, 2016

“Empathy and its Vicissitudes,” Illinois Institute of Technology, Humanities Symposium, October 31, 2015

“Resistance to Empathy,” The International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) 49^th Conference, Boston, MA (USA), July 24, 2015

“From Death in Venice to Empathy in Venice,” American Comparative Literature Assoc (Art, Literature and Music In Symbolism), Seattle, WA, March 27, 2015

“The Multi-Dimensional Determination of Empathy,” Illinois Institute of Technology, Philosophy Seminar, February 20, 2015

“The Multi-Dimensional Definition of Empathy Made Simple,” The Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University, April 23, 2014 [http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/multi-dimensional-approach-empathy-foundation-human-relations].

“A Rumor of Empathy at PFLAG,” Parents and Families of Lesbian and Gay People,” The Center on Halstead, Chicago, May 25, 2014

“Hot Potatoes: Top Ten Misunderstandings of Psychoanalysis,” Wednesday Afternoon Talk, The Institute for Psychoanalysis, Chicago, December 11, 2013

“A Rumor of Empathy in Heidegger,” Faculty Presentation, ISPP at Argosy, July 2013, Chicago

“Sympathy for the Devil; Empathy for the Other,” American Psychoanalytic Association Annual Meeting 2012, June 2012, Chicago, IL USA

“The Examined Life: A Conversation about Comfort Zones,” The Socratic Roundtable at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, February 15, 2012

“A Heideggerian Interpretation of Empathy,” University of Chicago Workshop on Contemporary Philosophy, May 16, 2011.

“Empathy in the Context of Existential Psychotherapy,” 2011 Annual Conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Chicago, IL April 15-17, 2011.

“Implementing Heidegger’s Hermeneutic of Empathy: Authentic Relatedness as Mitsein,” Annual Conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Chicago, IL April 15-17, 2011.

“The Analogy of Empathy (Einfühlung) with Taste in Kant’s Third Critique,” American Society for Aesthetics, Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 8, 2010.

“The Use and Abuse of Experimental Philosophy for Empathy Research,” Illinois Institute of Technology, Philosophy Seminar, March 19, 2010

“Kohut’s Self Psychology and Heidegger’s Special Hermeneutic of Empathy,” presented to the Wednesday Seminar, the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, February 24, 2010

“Response to Robert D. Stolorow’s Trauma and Human Existence: The Mutual Enrichment of Heidegger’s Existential Analytic and a Psychoanalytic Understanding of Trauma” in Proceedings of the Heidegger Circle Conference, 2009, Cincinnati, May 9, 2009, pp. 146f.

“Heidegger’s Special Hermeneutic of Empathy,” presented to Lake Forest College Philosophy Workshop, Phi Sigma Tau, February 12, 2009.

“Empathy and Human Receptivity,” in Proceedings of the Midwestern Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL Spring 1978.

PROFESSIONAL TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Ross University Medical School [at Saint Anthony Hospital], Adjunct Professor, Medical Humanities,  Department of Psychiatry, February 2017 – present

• Designed and teach a course Psychotherapy Interventions (i.e., empathy lessons) for Medical Doctors in a community hospital setting
• Expanded community engagement with Open House (2018) and Grand Rounds (2017) at Saint Anthony Hospital

University of Chicago Graham School, Adult Education, July 14, 2016 – present, Adjunct Assistant Professor

• Designed and Teach: Empathy and Neuroscience [in the context of the medical humanities] (Spring 2017)
• Designed and Teach: The Secret Underground Story of Empathy in the History of Philosophy: Hume, Kant, Lipps, Freud, Stein, Scheler, Husserl, Heidegger (2016)

Alleingang Services, Inc., Chicago, IL, 2008 – present 

• Designed and delivered empathy consulting services to such organizations as Rush University Medical, Saint Anthony Hospital, Apna Ghar (Our Home), Affectiva Software, Psious, including both paid and pro bono engagements
• Designed, authored, and published three (3) peer-reviewed books on empathy, including A Rumor of Empathy, becoming one of the premier empathy consultants in the market today
• Designed, proposed, produced, directed and hosted an Internet Talk Radio Show that went “viral” in ten weeks, entitled “A Rumor of Empathy” on the Voice American Empowerment Channel
• Built from scratch an on-going and thriving Empathy Consulting Practice apply principle of dynamic psychotherapy to shift individuals and organizations out of stuckness, applying humanistic methods, self psychology, and classical depth psychology to alleviate human suffering.
• Consulting and guidance in a business and technology context for team building, customer care, marketing, sales, and strategic planning – cross functional team building, interdepartmental liaising, 
• Teach part-time at the college and university levels at Argosy University (2012 – 2013), the Chicago School of Professional Psychology (2011), and the University of Chicago Graham School (Adult Education) 
• Clinical experience [practicum/internship] at Rush University Medical College Bipolar Clinic, Kraeplin Clinic, and the Mood Disorders Unit
• Consulting and guidance in a business and technology context for team building, customer care, marketing, sales, and strategic planning

Community Service

Our Home (Apna Ghar): Certificate: 40 Hour Domestic Violence Prevention Recovery Program (Apna Ghar (“Our Home”), May 2012, provided in-service training and low fee empathy consulting

Active Minds: Presentation to Northwestern University Active Minds Community Group: NWU: “The Other Within: Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Illness Through Empathy, May 24, 2012

Centro Romero, Language Department, March 2009 – 2010

• Instructor: Design and deliver curriculum, teaching US Citizenship, with an emphasis on US History and the US Constitution, and teaching English as a second language (ESL) to Hispanic adults – “no ser humano es illegal”
• Taught Citizenship – preparation for the US Citizenship Exam

MEDIA: EDUCATIONAL VIDEOS and AUDIOCASTS

Media (Video) presentations including the One Minute Empathy Training:  

video master list: https://www.youtube.com/@louagosta/videos [38 videos as of 02/20/2023]

RELATIONAL TRAINING

• Committee on Research and Special Topics: Psychiatric courses in Psychopharmacology and Diagnostic Interviewing at Rush University Medical College, Chicago, IL, 2010; clinical experience at Rush University Medical College Bipolar Clinic, Kraeplin Clinic, and the Mood Disorders Unit (Chicago, IL 2010 – 2011)
• Certificate: 40 Hour Domestic Violence Prevention Recovery Program (Apna Ghar (“Our Home”), May 2012
• Certificate: Partner Abuse Intervention Group Co-Facilitator Training (Center for Advancing Domestic Pease, January 2013)
• Candidate, Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, 2012 – 2014

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Chicago
• M.A, Humanities, University of Chicago
• A.B., Philosophy, University of Chicago — Phi Beta Kappa