While religious tolerance is surely better than religious war, tolerance is not without its liabilities. Our fear of provoking religious hatred has rendered us incapable of criticizing ideas that are now patently absurd and increasingly maladaptive. Sam Harris absurdcriticizefear share on social
My concern with religion is that it allows us by the millions to believe what only lunatics or idiots could believe on their own. That's not to say that all religious people are lunatics or idiots. It's anything but that. Sam Harris concernidiotlunatic share on social
The moral landscape is the framework I use for thinking about questions of morality and human values in universal terms. Sam Harris frameworkhumanlandscape Change image and share on social
Anyone familiar with my work knows that I am extremely critical of all religious faiths. Sam Harris criticalextremelyfaith Change image and share on social
It is time that scientists and other public intellectuals observed that the contest between faith and reason is zero-sum. Sam Harris contestfaithintellectual Change image and share on social
Spiritual life can certainly follow the pattern one sees in the fake martial arts, with most teachers making nebulous and magical claims that never get tested, while their students derange themselves with weird ideas, empty rituals, and other affectations. Sam Harris affectationartclaim share on social
Morality must relate, at some level, to the well-being of conscious creatures. If there are more and less effective ways for us to seek happiness and to avoid misery in this world - and there clearly are - then there are right and wrong answers to questions of morality. Sam Harris answeravoidconscious share on social
Many scientists have been drawn to Buddhism out of a sense that the Western tradition has delivered an impoverished conception of basic, human sanity. In the West, if you speak to yourself out loud all day long, you are considered crazy. But speaking to yourself silently - thinking incessantly - is considered perfectly normal. Sam Harris basicbuddhismconception share on social
There's no way to reconcile Islam with Christianity. This difference of opinion admits of compromise as much as a coin toss does. Sam Harris admitchristianitycoin Change image and share on social
Nearly half of the American population is eagerly anticipating the end of the world. This dewy-eyed nihilism provides absolutely no incentive to build a sustainable civilization. Many of these people are lunatics, but they are not the lunatic fringe. Sam Harris absolutelyamericananticipate share on social