Sam Harris

Sam Harris, the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith, and Letter to a Christian Nation just released his third book, The Moral Landscape. In it, Harris attempts to tackle the idea that science must, in principle, be neutral on questions of meaning, morality and human values. According to Harris, what really underlies our moral concerns, is the consideration for the well-being of conscious creatures. This concern places moral talk squarely in the domain of scientific inquiry because questions about human and animal well-being can have right or wrong answers.

I just got a copy of the book and have begun working through it. Upon completion I will write a more thorough review. Tuesday this week, I had the privilege of hearing Harris lecture at Cooper Union. The End of Faith received most of its left sided criticism from its singling out Islam as the most dangerous of the world's religions. So it was fitting to attend an Intelligence Squared debate last night on the subject of whether Islam is a religion of peace. Regardless of how you come down on the issue, no one would deny that it was a thoughtful and engaging debate. I will link to it as soon as possible.

Tonight the Center for Inquiry is hosting Sam Harris again at the New York Society for Ethical Culture on central park west and 64th street. In the unlikely event that you read this blog and did not already know that, you now do - so take advantage of the free admission and check it out!

A couple friends of mine have asked for some of my favorite online content of Sam's. One of the things I really appreciate about his approach to topics such as religion, science and morality is that he rarely "debates" people who disagree with him in a formal way. He has conversations with people on stage, in front of an audience. I think this approach is more conducive to reaching an agreement, producing reasonable comments, and actually getting to the heart of the matter. My favorites have been his conversations with Christopher Hedges, Reza Aslan and David Wolpe. Through these conversations, Harris exposes the unjustified beliefs or assumptions that lie and the root of their disagreements.

A Conversation Between Sam Harris and Christopher Hedges
Part 1
Summary: Hedges seems to genuinely not comprehend the message of The End of Faith and attributes to Harris many positions which he explains he does not hold. Hedges offers detailed anecdotes to support his position while Harris cites Pew poll findings. The question of which sources are more helpful in this debate is touched on.

A Conversation Between Sam Harris and Reza Aslan
Part 1
Summary: Aslan and Harris butt heads on some specific questions of moderate Muslims - who they are, how many there are etc. I think that Aslan could be more honest though, about some of the specific tenets of the religion, and how massively subscribed to they seem to be.

A Conversation Between Sam Harris and David Wolpe
Part 1
Summary: Wolpe expresses his religious beliefs, and Harris compares them to more mundane beliefs in an attempt to explain the necessity of evidence to anchor our beliefs. Wolpe and Harris explore the "Greatest Crimes of the Twentieth Century" argument.