Making Sense with Sam Harris

#196 — The Science of Happiness

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 19:30:02 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Laurie Santos about the scientific study of happiness. They discuss people’s expectations about happiness, the experiencing self vs the remembered self, framing effects, the importance of social connections, the effect of focusing on the happiness of others, introversion and extroversion, the influence of technology on social life, our relationship to time, the connection between happiness and ethics, hedonic adaptation, the power of mindfulness, resilience, the often illusory significance of reaching goals, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#195 — Social Cohesion is Everything

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 18:25:31 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with General Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell about the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss the nature of the ongoing crisis, the threat of a breakdown in social order, the problem of misinformation, the prospects of a nationwide lockdown, the trade off between personal freedom and safety, the threat of tyranny, the concerns about the global supply chain, concerns about the price of oil, safeguarding the 2020 Presidential election, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#194 — The New Future of Work

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 01:27:09 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Matt Mullenweg about the evolution of distributed work. They discuss the benefits of working from home, the new norms of knowledge work, relevant tools and security concerns, the challenges for managers, the importance of written communication, the necessity of innovating in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, delivery networks as critical infrastructure, economic recovery, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#193 — Meditation in an Emergency

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 18:09:54 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks about social contagion and about the importance of understanding one's own mind in an emergency.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#192 — March 17, 2020

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 21:55:28 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the psychology of adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, the disastrous analogy between coronavirus and flu, the political siloing of information, true and false concerns over "panic," pressuring China to close down their live animal markets, the economic implications and possible silver linings of the pandemic, what our response suggests about our ability to deal with climate change, Biden vs Sanders, the ethics of praising one's enemies, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#191 — Early Thoughts on a Pandemic

Wed, 11 Mar 2020 15:55:33 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Amesh Adalja about the spreading coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the contagiousness of the virus and the severity of the resultant illness, the mortality rate and risk factors, vectors of transmission, how long coronavirus can live on surfaces, the importance of social distancing, possible anti-viral treatments, the timeline for a vaccine, the importance of pandemic preparedness, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#190 — How Should We Respond to Coronavirus?

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 13:07:01 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the likely effects on society, proactive vs reactive school closures, community transmission, false comparisons between coronavirus and flu, the imperative of social distancing, the timeline of the pandemic, Trump’s political messaging, the widespread distrust of expertise, the importance of "flattening the curve" of the epidemic, the possible failure of our healthcare system, gradations of personal response to this threat, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#189 — Wealth & Happiness

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 20:24:58 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Scott Galloway about the connection between wealth and happiness. They discuss the problem of wealth inequality, the transfer of wealth from the young to the old, class warfare in Democratic politics, deficit spending, means testing Social Security, Bloomberg’s campaign and “stop and frisk,” breaking up big tech, privacy absolutism, meditation, mortality, atheism, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#188 — February 28, 2020

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 14:34:52 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the virtues of President Trump, the campaign prospects of Bloomberg and Sanders, the asymmetrical norms of the Democratic and Republican parties, the marginal role that parents play in the development of their children, wealth inequality and the breakdown of the nuclear family, whether Paul should take LSD, the deplatforming of Peter Singer, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#187 — February 20, 2020

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 00:26:41 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the epidemic of child sexual abuse, the ethics of loyalty, eugenics, existential risk, the Bloomberg and Sanders campaigns, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#186 — The Bomb

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:22:51 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Fred Kaplan about the ever-present threat of nuclear war. They discuss the history of nuclear deterrence, U.S. first-strike policy, preventive war, limited nuclear war, tactical vs. strategic weapons, Trump’s beliefs about nuclear weapons, the details of command and control, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#185 — February 7, 2020

Fri, 07 Feb 2020 19:52:32 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about "Trump Derangement Syndrome," inequality, the relationship between wealth and happiness, the downside of fame, psychological impediments to noticing progress, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#184 — The Conversational Nature of Reality

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 22:05:35 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with poet David Whyte about the importance of work and relationships, the balance between training and expressing of one's talents, the lessons of mortality, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#183 — January 28, 2020

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 21:41:25 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom discuss topics in the news including the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. They also explore the paradoxes of moral responsibility.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#182 — Unlearning Race

Thu, 23 Jan 2020 22:17:05 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast Sam Harris speaks with Thomas Chatterton Williams about the reality and politics of race. They discuss his book “Self Portrait in Black and White,” race as a social and biological construct, the prospects of achieving a “post-racial” society, interracial marriage, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#181 — The Illusory Self

Mon, 13 Jan 2020 19:02:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Lang about how to experience the world beyond the illusion of the self.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#180 — Sex & Power

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 00:53:58 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Meghan Daum about her book “The Problem with Everything.” They discuss contemporary feminism, violence against women, campus sexual assault, moral panics, new norms of conversation, the 2020 Presidential campaign, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#179 — The Unquiet Mind

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 14:21:28 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Judson Brewer about addiction, craving, and mindfulness. They discuss the nature of reward-based learning, the role of subjective bias in addiction, the neuroscience of craving, the neural correlates of the sense of self, real-time neuroimaging, effort and effortlessness in meditation, smoking cessation through mindfulness, the difference between dopamine-driven reward and happiness, how to make meditation a habit, working with anxiety, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#178 — The Reality Illusion

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 21:36:16 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast Sam and Annaka Harris speak with Donald Hoffman about his book “The Case Against Reality.” They discuss how evolution has failed to select for true perceptions of the world, his “interface theory” of perception, the primacy of math and logic, how space and time cannot be fundamental, the threat of epistemological skepticism, causality as a useful fiction, the hard problem of consciousness, agency, free will, panpsychism, a mathematics of conscious agents, philosophical idealism, death, psychedelics, the relationship between consciousness and mathematics, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#177 — Psychedelic Science

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:59:59 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Roland Griffiths about the current state of research on psychedelics. They discuss the historical prohibition against their use; the clinical and scientific promise of psilocybin, mescaline, LSD, DMT, MDMA, and other compounds; the risks associated with these drugs; the role of “set and setting”; the differences between psychedelics and drugs of abuse; MDMA and neurotoxicity; experiences of unity, sacredness, love, and truth; the long-term consequences of psychedelic experiences; synthetic vs natural drugs; the prospects of devising new psychedelics; microdosing; research on psilocybin and long-term meditators; the experience of encountering other apparent beings; psilocybin treatment of addiction; and other topics. In his Afterword, Sam discusses his experience on a large dose of psilocybin—his first psychedelic experience in 25 years.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#176 — Knowledge & Redemption

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 20:23:09 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Lynn Novick about her four-part documentary "College Behind Bars." The film follows the progress of students in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) as they pursue their undergraduate degrees. Sam and Lynn are joined by Jule Hall, a BPI graduate who served a 22-year sentence and is now working for the Ford Foundation.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#175 — Leaving the Faith

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 18:32:28 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Yasmine Mohammed about her book "Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam." They discuss her family background and indoctrination into conservative Islam, the double standard that Western liberals use when thinking about women in the Muslim community, the state of feminism in general, honor violence, the validity of criticizing other cultures, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#174 — Life & Mind

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 16:46:06 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins. They discuss the strangeness of the “gene’s-eye view" of the world, the limits of Darwinian thinking when applied to human life, the concept of the extended phenotype, ideologies as meme complexes, whether consciousness might be an epiphenomenon, psychedelics, meditation, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#173 — Anti-Semitism and Its Discontents

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 17:10:59 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Bari Weiss about her book “How to Fight anti-Semitism.” They discuss the three different strands of anti-Semitism (rightwing, leftwing, and Islamic), the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, the difference between anti-Semitism and other forms of racism, “Great Replacement Theory,” the populist response to globalization, the history of anti-Semitism in the U.S., criticisms of Israel, the fate of Jews in Western Europe, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#172 — Among the Deplorables

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 19:52:54 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Marantz about his book “Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation." They discuss the effect of social media on politics, the distinction between publishers and platforms, the problem of guilt by association, getting too close to interview subjects, the confusing nature of troll culture, the notion of “dog whistles,” how to respond to the current reality of racism, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#171 — Escaping a Christian Cult

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 21:33:36 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about her book "Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving the Westboro Baptist Church."

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#170 — The Great Uncoupling

Wed, 02 Oct 2019 17:28:33 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Andrew McAfee about the history of human progress and the modern uncoupling of our prosperity from resource consumption. They discuss the pitfalls and hidden virtues of capitalism, technological progress, environmental policy, the future of the developing world, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#169 — Omens of a Race War

Fri, 20 Sep 2019 13:04:29 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Kathleen Belew about the white power movement in the United States. They discuss white supremacy, white nationalism, white separatism, the militia movement, “The Turner Diaries,” the connection between the white power movement and war, the significance of Ruby Ridge and Waco, the Christian Identity movement, the significance of “leaderless resistance,” the failures of the justice system in prosecuting white power crimes, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#168 — Mind, Space, & Motion

Wed, 11 Sep 2019 18:13:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Barbara Tversky about how our senses of space and motion underlie our capacity for thought. They discuss the evolution of mind prior to language, the importance of imitation and gesture, the sensory and motor homunculi, the information communicated by motion, the role of “mirror neurons,” sense of direction, natural and unnatural categories, cognitive trade-offs, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#167 — A Few Thoughts on White Supremacy

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 16:22:50 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris addresses listener concerns that he uses a "double standard" to evaluate the relative threats of white supremacy and jihadism.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#166 — The Plague Years

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 04:57:09 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Matt McCarthy about his book "Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic." They discuss the problem of drug resistant bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, and the failure of the pharmaceutical industry to keep pace with evolution.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#165 — Journey into Wokeness

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 01:18:42 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Caitlin Flanagan about her work as a writer. They discuss controversies on social media, the contradictions within feminism, media bias, #MeToo, the new norms of sexuality, the wokeness of academia, affirmative action, college admissions, HR departments, sexual harassment, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#164 — Cause & Effect

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 13:02:06 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Judea Pearl about his work on the mathematics of causality and artificial intelligence. They discuss how science has generally failed to understand causation, different levels of causal inference, counterfactuals, the foundations of knowledge, the nature of possibility, the illusion of free will, artificial intelligence, the nature of consciousness, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#163 — Ricky Gervais

Fri, 12 Jul 2019 16:23:50 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ricky Gervais. They discuss fame, the effect of social media, the changing state of comedy, offensive jokes, Louis CK, political hypocrisy, Brexit and Trump, the state of journalism, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#162 — Medical Intelligence

Wed, 03 Jul 2019 15:43:59 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Eric Topol about the way artificial intelligence can improve medicine. They talk about soaring medical costs and declining health outcomes in the U.S., the problems of too little and too much medicine, the culture of medicine, the travesty of electronic health records, the current status of AI in medicine, the promise of further breakthroughs, possible downsides of relying on AI in medicine, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#161 — Rise & Fall

Mon, 24 Jun 2019 15:21:36 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jared Diamond about the rise and fall of civilizations. They discuss political polarization, disparities in civilizational progress, the prospect that there may be biological differences between populations, the precariousness of democracy in the US, the lack of a strong political center, immigration policy, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#160 — The Revenge of History

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 15:49:31 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Michael Weiss and Yascha Mounk about the state of global politics. They discuss the rise of right-wing populism in Europe, the prospect that democracy could fail in the US, Trump’s political instincts, the political liability of “wokeness,” the Left’s failure to re-think its support of Chavez, the dangers of political polarization, the attractions of extreme partisanship, cancel culture, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#159 — Conscious

Thu, 06 Jun 2019 01:08:07 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with his wife, Annaka Harris, about her new book, "Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind."

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#158 — Understanding Humans in the Wild

Thu, 30 May 2019 04:04:26 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Adam Grant about the social science of the workplace. They discuss how teams work effectively, the nature of power, personality types and fundamental styles of interaction, the critical skill of saying “no,” creativity, resilience, the strange case of Jonas Salk, the nature of mindfulness, the power of cognitive reappraisal, reflections on mortality, the replication crisis in social science, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#157 — What Does the Mueller Report Really Say?

Mon, 20 May 2019 15:31:35 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Benjamin Wittes about both volumes of the Mueller Report.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#156 — The Evolution of Culture

Mon, 13 May 2019 16:03:23 GMT

In the episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about his new book, "Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society."

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#155 — Mental Models

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 21:53:15 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Shane Parrish about some of the mental models that should guide our thinking and behavior.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#154 — What Do Jihadists Really Want? (2019)

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 00:14:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reads from an issue of Dabiq, the magazine of ISIS, and discusses the beliefs and goals of jihadists worldwide.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#153 — Possible Minds

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 14:33:20 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris introduces John Brockman's new anthology, "Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI," in conversation with three of its authors: George Dyson, Alison Gopnik, and Stuart Russell.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#152 — The Trouble with Facebook

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 18:34:38 GMT

In the episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Roger McNamee about his book Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#151 — Will We Destroy the Future?

Mon, 18 Mar 2019 16:32:04 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nick Bostrom about the problem of existential risk. They discuss public goods, moral illusions, the asymmetry between happiness and suffering, utilitarianism, "the vulnerable world hypothesis," the history of nuclear deterrence, the possible need for "turnkey totalitarianism," whether we're living in a computer simulation, the Doomsday Argument, the implications of extraterrestrial life, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#150 — The Map of Misunderstanding

Tue, 12 Mar 2019 20:08:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Kahneman at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. They discuss the replication crisis in science, System 1 and System 2, where intuitions reliably fail, expert intuitions, the power of framing, moral illusions, anticipated regret, the asymmetry between threats and opportunities, the utility of worrying, removing obstacles to wanted behaviors, the remembering self vs the experiencing self, improving the quality of gossip, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#149 — The Problem of Addiction

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 16:41:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sally Satel about addiction. They discuss whether addiction should be considered a disease, the opiate epidemic in the U.S., the unique danger of fentanyl, the politicization of medicine, PTSD, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#148 — Jack Dorsey

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 16:30:51 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jack Dorsey about how he manages his dual CEO roles at Square and Twitter, the role that Twitter plays in journalism, how it’s different from other social media, what makes a conversation healthy, the logic by which Twitter suspends people, the argument for kicking Trump off the platform, Jack’s practice of meditation, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#147 — Stephen Fry

Mon, 28 Jan 2019 16:44:10 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Stephen Fry about comedy, atheism, political correctness, meditation, ambition, empathy, psychedelics, Christopher Hitchens, Stephen's experience of manic depression, and much else.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#146 — Digital Capitalism

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 20:36:26 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Rushkoff about the state of the digital economy.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#145 — The Information War

Wed, 02 Jan 2019 18:35:17 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Renee Diresta about Russia's "Internet Research Agency" and its efforts to amplify conspiracy thinking and partisan conflict in the United States.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Drive Interview with Peter Attia

Thu, 20 Dec 2018 14:51:06 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Peter Attia about meditation and the nature of mind. They discuss types of meditation, the difference between pain and suffering, the difference between joy and wellbeing, the half-life of negative emotions, thinking and dreaming, the power of culture, the power of language, letting go of anger, MDMA, loving one's enemies, moral luck, the ethics of lying, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at SamHarris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#144 — Conquering Hate

Fri, 07 Dec 2018 19:41:48 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Deeyah Khan about her groundbreaking films "Jihad" and "White Right." They discuss her history as a target of religious intolerance, her adventures with neo-Nazis and other white supremacists, the similarities between extremist groups, the dangers of political correctness, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#143 — The Keys to the Mind

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:48:49 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Derren Brown about his work as a "psychological illusionist." They discuss the power of hypnosis, the power of expectations, the usefulness of Stoic philosophy, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#142 — Addiction, Depression, and a Meaningful Life

Tue, 13 Nov 2018 01:08:53 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Johann Hari about his books "Chasing the Scream" and "Lost Connections."

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#141— Is #MeToo Going Too Far?

Mon, 05 Nov 2018 14:28:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Rebecca Traister about her new book "Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger."

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The TED Interview

Tue, 30 Oct 2018 23:05:18 GMT

Sam talks to the head of TED, Chris Anderson, about using reason to build our morality. Sam makes the case that reason can indeed answer moral questions, and then explores the many controversies that emerge from that claim. Moral superiority? Cultural superiority? Moral progress? Chris and Sam dig in to discuss the right ways to think about defining right from wrong, and reason’s role in it all.

This is an episode of The TED Interview, a new podcast from TED. It's available wherever you get your podcasts.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at SamHarris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#140 — Burning Down the Fourth Estate

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:13:37 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Matt Taibbi about the state journalism and the polarization of our politics. They discuss the controversy over Steve Bannon at the New Yorker Festival, monetizing the Trump phenomenon, the Jamal Kashoggi murder, the Kavanaugh hearing, the Rolling Stone reporting on the UVA rape case, the viability of a political center, the 2020 Presidential election, the Russia investigation, our vanishing attention span, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#139 — Sacred & Profane

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 17:26:27 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris gets together with Bill Maher and Larry Charles to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their film "Religulous." They discuss religion, politics, comedy, and other dangerous topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Introducing the Waking Up Course

Tue, 25 Sep 2018 02:45:57 GMT

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris introduces the Waking Up Course. More information can be found at WakingUp.com.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#138 — The Edge of Humanity

Thu, 20 Sep 2018 02:32:56 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about his new book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century.” They discuss the importance of meditation for his intellectual life, the primacy of stories, the need to revise our fundamental assumptions about human civilization, the threats to liberal democracy, a world without work, universal basic income, the virtues of nationalism, the implications of AI and automation, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#137 — Safe Space

Mon, 10 Sep 2018 02:53:27 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jonathan Haidt about his new book "The Coddling of the American Mind." They discuss the hostility to free speech that has grown more common among young adults, recent moral panics on campus, the role of intentions in ethical life, the economy of prestige in “call out” culture, how we should define bigotry, systemic racism, the paradox of progress, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#136 — Digital Humanism

Thu, 30 Aug 2018 04:01:23 GMT

In this episode the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jaron Lanier about the economics, politics, and psychology of our digital lives. They discuss the insidious idea that information should be free, what we should want from an advanced economy, the role of advertising, libertarianism in Silicon Valley, the problems with social media, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#135 — Navigating Sex and Gender

Mon, 20 Aug 2018 15:41:43 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Martie Haselton about sex and gender, the role of hormones in human psychology, “Darwinian feminism,” the unique hormonal experience of women, transgenderism, the Google Memo, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#134 — Beyond the Politics of Race

Sun, 29 Jul 2018 14:57:26 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Coleman Hughes about race, racism, and identity politics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#133 — Globalism on the Brink

Wed, 18 Jul 2018 22:12:44 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ian Bremmer about the failure of globalism and rise of populism. They discuss immigration, trade, automation, wealth inequality, Trump, identity politics and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#132 — Freeing the Hostages

Mon, 09 Jul 2018 17:06:15 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Chris Voss about his experience as a hostage negotiator for the FBI. They discuss different types of hostage crises, along with many of the lessons that apply to negotiating in normal life.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#131 — Dictators, Immigration, #MeToo, and Other Imponderables

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 00:31:25 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Masha Gessen about Vladimir Putin, the problem of gauging public opinion in Russia, Trump's fondness for dictators, the challenges of immigration, comparisons between Christian and Muslim intolerance, "fake news" and the health of journalism, the #MeToo movement, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#130 — Universal Basic Income

Tue, 19 Jun 2018 00:52:55 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with presidential candidate Andrew Yang about "universal basic income" (UBI). They discuss the state of the economy, the rise of automation and AI, the arguments for and against UBI, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#129 — An Insider’s View of Medicine

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 03:30:52 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Dr. Nina Shapiro about the practice of medicine. They discuss the unique resiliency of children, the importance of second opinions, bad doctors, how medical training has changed in recent years, medical uncertainty, risk perception, vaccine safety, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#128 — Transformations of Mind

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 22:17:13 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Geoffrey Miller about evolutionary psychology. They discuss sexual selection, virtue signaling, social media, public shaming, monogamy and polyamory, taboo topics in science, genetic engineering, gender differences and the “Google memo,” moral psychology, existential risk, AI, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#127 — Freedom from the Known

Mon, 28 May 2018 03:15:43 GMT

In this episode the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Michael Pollan about his new book “How to Change Your Mind.” They cover the the resurgence of interest in psychedelics in clinical practice and end-of-life care, the “betterment of well people,” the relationship between thinking and mental suffering, the differences between psychedelics and meditation, the non-duality of consciousness, the brain’s “default mode network,” their experiences with various psychedelics, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#126 — In Defense of Honor

Tue, 08 May 2018 04:25:56 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast Sam Harris speaks with Tamler Sommers about cultures of honor. They discuss the difference between honor and dignity, “justice porn,” honor killings, honor and interpersonal violence, prison and gang culture, collective responsibility and collective punishment, retributive vs restorative justice, the ethics of forgiveness and redemption, #metoo, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#125 — What Is Christianity?

Tue, 01 May 2018 23:05:14 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks to Bart Ehrman about his experience of being a born-again Christian, his academic training in New Testament scholarship, his loss of faith, the most convincing argument in defense of Christianity, the status of miracles, the composition of the New Testament, the resurrection of Jesus, the nature of heaven and hell, the book of Revelation, the End Times, self-contradictions in the Bible, the concept of a messiah, whether Jesus actually existed, Christianity as a cult of human sacrifice, the conversion of Constantine, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#124 — In Search of Reality

Sat, 21 Apr 2018 06:43:56 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sean Carroll about our understanding of reality. They discuss consciousness, the many worlds view of quantum mechanics, the arrow of time, free will, facts and values, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#123 — Identity & Honesty

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 10:00:00 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ezra Klein, Editor-at-Large for Vox Media, about racism, identity politics, intellectual honesty, and the controversy over his podcast with Charles Murray (Making Sense #73).

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#122 — Extreme Housekeeping Edition

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 16:19:32 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris responds to the ongoing controversy over his interview with Charles Murray and discusses his upcoming conversation with Ezra Klein. He also announces a change he will be making to the format of the podcast.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#121 — White Power

Sun, 25 Mar 2018 02:50:13 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Christian Picciolini about his experience as a neo-Nazi skinhead. They discuss how Christian got out of the movement, the limits of shame and forgiveness, the cult-like dynamics of white supremacy, the alt-Right, Russian support for white supremacy in the US, “fake news”, the significance of Charlottesville, the SPLC, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#120 — What Is and What Matters

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 00:02:12 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Rebecca Goldstein and Max Tegmark about the foundations of human knowledge and morality.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#119 — Hidden Motives

Mon, 12 Mar 2018 18:09:09 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Robin Hanson about our hidden motives in everyday life. They discuss selfishness, hypocrisy, norms and meta-norms, cheating, deception, self-deception, education, the evolutionary logic of conversation, social status, signaling and counter-signaling, common knowledge, AI, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

# 118 — The View from Trumpistan

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 23:34:36 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Preet Bharara about President Trump and the Russia investigation.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#117 — Networks, Power, and Chaos

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 00:11:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Niall Ferguson about his new book "The Square and the Tower." They discuss his career as a writer, networks and hierarchies, how history gets written, the similarity between the 16th century and the 21st, the role of social media in the 2016 Presidential election, the influence of advertising on the public sphere, Trump, the Russian investigation, Islamic extremism, counterfactuals, what would have happened if Clinton had won the presidency, immigration in Europe, conspiracy theories, capitalism, globalization, communism, wealth inequality, universal basic income, Henry Kissinger, the prospect of a US war with China, cyberwar, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Russell Brand Interview

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 01:15:33 GMT

This episode of the Making Sense podcast features an interview that Sam did with Russell Brand on the Under the Skin podcast. They speak about religion, terrorism, politics, meditation, psychedelics, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#116 — AI: Racing Toward the Brink

Tue, 06 Feb 2018 00:38:44 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Eliezer Yudkowsky about the nature of intelligence, different types of AI, the "alignment problem," IS vs OUGHT, the possibility that future AI might deceive us, the AI arms race, conscious AI, coordination problems, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#115 — Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, and Matt Dillahunty (1)

Mon, 29 Jan 2018 04:48:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Lawrence Krauss and Matt Dillahunty about the threat of nuclear war, Christian support for Trump, science and a universal conception of morality, the role of intuition in science, the primacy of consciousness, the nature of time, free will, the self, meditation, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#114 — Politics and Sanity

Mon, 22 Jan 2018 07:08:22 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Frum and Andrew Sullivan about the Trump presidency, hyper-partisanship, how democracies fail, immigration, the lowering life expectancy in the U.S., racism, social media, the opioid crisis, marijuana legalization, religion, what a healthy politics might look like, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#113 — Consciousness and the Self

Tue, 09 Jan 2018 03:54:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Anil Seth about the scientific study of consciousness, where consciousness emerges in nature, levels of consciousness, perception as a “controlled hallucination,” emotion, the experience of “pure consciousness,” consciousness as “integrated information,” measures of “brain complexity,” psychedelics, different aspects of the “self,” conscious AI, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#112 — The Intellectual Dark Web

Tue, 02 Jan 2018 04:28:12 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Eric Weinstein and Ben Shapiro about the breakdown of shared values, the problem with identity politics, religion, free will, the primacy of reason, and many other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#111 — The Science of Meditation

Thu, 28 Dec 2017 05:33:08 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Goleman and Richard J. Davidson about the current scientific understanding of meditation practice. They speak about the original stigma associated with meditation, the history of introspection in eastern and western cultures, the recent collaboration between Buddhism and western science, the difference between altered states and altered traits, an alternate conception of mental health, “meta-awareness,” the relationship between mindfulness and “flow,” the difference between pain and suffering, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#110 — The Change Artist

Sat, 23 Dec 2017 19:43:12 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with AJ Jacobs about religion, gossip, polyamory, health advice, our past and future selves, “radical honesty,” human genealogy, tribalism, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#109— Biology and Culture

Tue, 19 Dec 2017 01:39:09 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Bret Weinstein about the moral panic at Evergreen State College, the concept of race, genetic differences between human populations, intersectionality, sex and gender, “metaphorical truth,” religion and “group selection,” equality, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#108 — Defending the Experts

Thu, 14 Dec 2017 01:25:13 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Tom Nichols about his book The Death of Expertise. They discuss the “Dunning-Kruger Effect,” the growth of knowledge and reliance on authority, when experts fail, the repudiation of expertise in politics, conspiracy thinking, North Korea, Trump, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#107 — Is Life Actually Worth Living?

Wed, 06 Dec 2017 00:46:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Benatar about his philosophy of “anti-natalism." They discuss the asymmetry between the good and bad things in life, the ethics of existential risk, the moral landscape, the limits and paradoxes of introspection, the “experience machine” thought experiment, population ethics, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#106 — Humanity 2.0

Wed, 29 Nov 2017 02:43:09 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Jennifer Doudna about the gene-editing technology CRISPR/cas9. They talk about the biology of gene editing, how specific tissues in the body can be targeted, the ethical implications of changing the human genome, the importance of curiosity-driven science, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#105 — Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt Dillahunty

Mon, 20 Nov 2017 03:54:32 GMT

The following conversation between Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt Dillahunty was recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver on November 2, 2017.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#104 — The Lessons of Death

Wed, 15 Nov 2017 03:25:52 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Frank Ostaseski about death and dying—and about how the awareness of death can improve our lives in each moment.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#103 — American Fantasies

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 01:03:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Kurt Andersen about the American aptitude for unfounded belief, the religious lunacy of the Puritans, populist mistrust of authority, the link between postmodernism and religious fundamentalism, the unique history of American religious entrepreneurship, the Trump phenomenon, the effect of fame on politics, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#102 — Is Buddhism True?

Mon, 30 Oct 2017 18:05:25 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Robert Wright about his book Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#101 — Defending the Republic

Tue, 17 Oct 2017 06:31:29 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Cass Sunstein about the polarization and fragmentation of American society, “choice architecture,” the importance of face-to-face interactions for problem solving, group polarization and identity politics, virtuous extremism, the wisdom of crowds, direct democracy, the limits of free speech, the process of Presidential impeachment, and other topics.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#100 — Facing the Crowd

Mon, 09 Oct 2017 23:50:33 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about mob behavior, moral panics, and current threats to free speech.

SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The "After On" Interview

Fri, 06 Oct 2017 03:50:44 GMT

This episode of the Making Sense podcast features an interview that Sam Harris did with Rob Reid on the After On podcast. They speak about publishing, psychedelics, terrorism, meditation, free speech and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#99 — What Happened to Liberalism?

Thu, 28 Sep 2017 06:24:48 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Mark Lilla about the fate of political liberalism in the United States, the emergence of a new identity politics, the role of class in American society, wealth inequality, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#98 — Into the Dark Land

Thu, 21 Sep 2017 02:17:27 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Siddhartha Mukherjee about his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#97 — The Impossible War

Fri, 15 Sep 2017 00:06:31 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick about their latest film, The Vietnam War.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#96 — The Nature of Consciousness

Sun, 10 Sep 2017 22:16:52 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Thomas Metzinger about the scientific and experiential understanding of consciousness. They also talk about the significance of WWII for the history of ideas, the role of intuition in science, the ethics of building conscious AI, the self as an hallucination, how we identify with our thoughts, attention as the root of the feeling of self, the place of Eastern philosophy in Western science, and the limitations of secular humanism.

You can support the Making Sense podcast at samharris.org/support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#95 — What You Need to Know About Climate Change

Tue, 05 Sep 2017 19:08:13 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Joseph Romm about how the climate is changing and how we know that human behavior is the primary cause. They discuss why small changes in temperature matter so much, the threats of sea-level rise and desertification, the best and worst case scenarios, the Paris Climate Agreement, the politics surrounding climate science, and many other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#94 — The Future of Intelligence

Tue, 29 Aug 2017 16:18:45 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Max Tegmark about his new book Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. They talk about the nature of intelligence, the risks of superhuman AI, a nonbiological definition of life, the substrate independence of minds, the relevance and irrelevance of consciousness for the future of AI, near-term breakthroughs in AI, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#93 — Identity & Terror

Mon, 21 Aug 2017 22:11:26 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about identity politics, the rise of white nationalism, the events in Charlottesville, guilt by association, the sources of western values, the problem of finding meaning in a secular world, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#92 — The Limits of Persuasion

Wed, 16 Aug 2017 16:39:24 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Pizarro and Tamler Sommers about free speech on campus, the Scott Adams podcast, the failings of the mainstream media, moral persuasion, moral certainty, the ethics of abortion, Buddhism, the illusion of the self, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#91 — The Biology of Good and Evil

Wed, 09 Aug 2017 15:40:34 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Robert Sapolsky about his work with baboons, the opposition between reason and emotion, doubt, the evolution of the brain, the civilizing role of the frontal cortex, the illusion of free will, justice and vengeance, brain-machine interface, religion, drugs, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#90 — Living With Violence

Sun, 06 Aug 2017 16:09:08 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Gavin de Becker about the primacy of human intuition in the prediction and prevention of violence.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#89 — On Becoming a Better Person

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 17:39:53 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Brooks about his book The Road to Character, the importance of words like “sin” and "virtue," self-esteem vs. self-overcoming, the significance of keeping promises, honesty, President Trump, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#88 — Must We Accept a Nuclear North Korea?

Fri, 21 Jul 2017 17:09:52 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Mark Bowden about the problem of a nuclear-armed North Korea.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#87 — Triggered

Wed, 19 Jul 2017 06:38:36 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Scott Adams debate the character and competence of President Trump.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#86 — From Cells to Cities

Fri, 14 Jul 2017 15:27:53 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Geoffrey West about how biological and social systems scale, the significance of fractals, the prospects of radically extending human life, the concept of “emergence” in complex systems, the importance of cities, the necessity for continuous innovation, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#85 — Is this the End of Europe?

Fri, 07 Jul 2017 17:14:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about his book The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#84 — Landscapes of Mind

Sat, 01 Jul 2017 06:08:42 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Kevin Kelly about why it’s so hard to predict future technology, the nature of intelligence, the “singularity,” artificial consciousness, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#83 — The Politics of Emergency

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 07:19:12 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Fareed Zakaria about his career as a journalist, Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations," political partisanship, Trump, the health of the news media, the connection between Islam and intolerance, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#82 — The End of the World According to ISIS

Thu, 15 Jun 2017 16:20:11 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Graeme Wood about his experience reporting on ISIS, the myth of online recruitment, the theology of ISIS, the quality of their propaganda, the most important American recruit to the organization, the roles of Jesus and the Anti-Christ in Islamic prophecy, free speech and the ongoing threat of jihadism, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#81 — Leaving Islam

Fri, 09 Jun 2017 23:54:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sarah Haider about her organization Ex-Muslims of North America, how the political Left is confused about Islam, "rape culture" under Islam, honesty without bigotry, stealth theocracy, immigration, the prospects of reforming Islam, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#80 — The Unraveling

Sun, 04 Jun 2017 06:26:47 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Frum about political partisanship, recent security leaks, Trump's foreign policy, the Russia investigation, Kathy Griffin's joke, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#79 — The Road to Tyranny

Mon, 29 May 2017 23:39:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Timothy Snyder about his book On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#78 — Persuasion and Control

Fri, 26 May 2017 17:50:16 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Zeynep Tufekci about "surveillance capitalism," the Trump campaign's use of Facebook, AI-enabled marketing, the health of the press, Wikileaks, ransomware attacks, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#77 — The Moral Complexity of Genetics

Mon, 22 May 2017 16:40:25 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Siddhartha Mukherjee about the human desire to understand and manipulate heredity, the genius of Gregor Mendel, the ethics of altering our genes, the future of genetic medicine, patent issues in genetic research, controversies about race and intelligence, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#76 — The Path to Impeachment

Thu, 18 May 2017 20:07:55 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum and Juliette Kayyem about the unfolding Russia scandal in the White House.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#75 — Ask Me Anything 7

Fri, 12 May 2017 20:36:15 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about the illusion of the self, his podcast with Charles Murray, the future of brain-machine interfaces, his BJJ practice, reasoning with the extreme Left, mindfulness and parenting, his experience of going back to school after a long break, transgenderism, increasing one’s vocabulary, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#74 — What Should We Eat?

Sat, 06 May 2017 20:30:08 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Gary Taubes about his career as a science journalist, the difficulty of studying nutrition and public health scientifically, the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the role of hormones in weight gain, the controversies surrounding his work, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#73 — Forbidden Knowledge

Sun, 23 Apr 2017 06:32:50 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Charles Murray about the controversy over his book "The Bell Curve," the validity and significance of IQ as a measure of intelligence, the problem of social stratification, the rise of Trump, universal basic income, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#72 — Privacy and Security

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 23:38:15 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with General Michael V. Hayden about the reality of spying, the difference between the NSA and the CIA, the ethics of secrecy, Edward Snowden, the Russian Hacking of the 2016 US Presidential election, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#71 — What Is Technology Doing to Us?

Fri, 14 Apr 2017 21:30:51 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Tristan Harris about the arms race for human attention, the ethics of persuasion, the consequences of having an ad-based economy, the dynamics of regret, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#70 — Beauty and Terror

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 07:50:17 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with physicist Lawrence Krauss about the utility of public debates, the progress of science, confusion about the role of consciousness in quantum mechanics, the present danger of nuclear war, the Trump administration, the relative threats of Christian theocracy and Islamism, and realistic fears about terrorism.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#69 — The Russia Connection

Fri, 24 Mar 2017 05:55:34 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum about Russia's meddling in the U.S. Presidential election and Trump's troubling affinity for Vladimir Putin.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#68 — Reality and the Imagination

Sun, 19 Mar 2017 16:24:41 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about meditation, the need for stories, the power of technology to erase the boundary between fact and fiction, wealth inequality, the problem of finding meaning in a world without work, religion as a virtual reality game, the difference between pain and suffering, the future of globalism, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#67 — Meaning and Chaos

Mon, 13 Mar 2017 20:51:17 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Jordan Peterson discuss science, religion, archetypes, mythology, and the perennial problem of finding meaning in life.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#66 — Living with Robots

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 05:01:00 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Kate Darling about the ethical concerns surrounding our increasing use of robots and other autonomous systems.

Kate Darling is a leading expert in robot ethics. She’s a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab, where she investigates social robotics and conducts experimental studies on human-robot interaction. Kate is also a fellow at the Harvard Berkman Center for Internet & Society and the Yale Information Society Project, and is an affiliate at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. She explores the emotional connection between people and life-like machines, seeking to influence technology design and public policy. Her writing and research anticipate difficult questions that lawmakers, engineers, and the wider public will need to address as human-robot relationships evolve in the coming decades. Kate has a background in law & economics and intellectual property.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#65 — We're All Cucks Now

Mon, 20 Feb 2017 16:50:16 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with David Frum about the presidency of Donald Trump.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#64 — Ask Me Anything 6

Thu, 16 Feb 2017 04:48:16 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about his conversation with Jordan Peterson, the reaction to Milo Yiannopoulos at U.C. Berkeley, the “Muslim ban,” the echo chamber of social media, Trump’s lies, the value of the humanities, the ethics of ending aging, whether consciousness can be an illusion, evolution and morality, free speech and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#63 — Why Meditate?

Tue, 31 Jan 2017 17:12:45 GMT

In this episode the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Joseph Goldstein answer questions about the practice of mindfulness. They discuss the nature negative emotions, the importance of ethics, the concept of enlightenment, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#62 — What is True?

Sat, 21 Jan 2017 15:55:47 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with psychologist Jordan B. Peterson about freedom of speech and the nature of truth.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#61 — The Power of Belief

Sun, 15 Jan 2017 17:00:52 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with author Lawrence Wright about al-Qaeda & ISIS, Arab culture, 9/11 conspiracy theories, the migrant crisis in Europe, Scientology, parallels between L. Ron Hubbard and Donald Trump, the Satanic cult panic, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#60 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (2)

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 07:47:11 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (second of two). They discuss Richard’s experience of having a stroke, the genetic future of humanity, the analogy between genes and memes, the “extended phenotype,” Islam and bigotry, the biology of race, how to find meaning without religion, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#59 — Friend & Foe

Thu, 05 Jan 2017 08:23:20 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Maajid Nawaz about the Southern Poverty Law Center, Robert Spencer, Keith Ellison, moderate Muslims, Shadi Hamid’s notion of “Islamic exceptionalism," the migrant crisis in Europe, foreign interventions, Trump, Putin, Obama’s legacy, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#58 — The Putin Question

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 17:27:05 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Garry Kasparov about the problem of waning American power, the rise of Putin, the coming presidency of Donald Trump, computer chess, the future of artificial intelligence, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#57 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (1)

Mon, 19 Dec 2016 01:47:05 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (first of two). They cover religion, Jurassic Park, artificial intelligence, elitism, continuing human evolution, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#56 — Abusing Dolores

Mon, 12 Dec 2016 17:09:21 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Paul Bloom about empathy, meditation studies, morality, AI, Westworld, Donald Trump, free will, rationality, conspiracy thinking, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#55 — Islamism vs Secularism

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 05:31:51 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Shadi Hamid about the power of religious belief, the failure of the Left, Islamist democracy, free speech, profiling, white nationalism, Obama’s foreign policy and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#54 — Trumping The World

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 20:14:04 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with journalist James Kirchick about the coming Trump presidency, liberalism vs illiberalism, fake news, Russia, Syria, Iran, and the future of American power.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#53 — The Dawn of Artificial Intelligence

Thu, 24 Nov 2016 00:40:40 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with computer scientist Stuart Russell about the challenge of building artificial intelligence that is compatible with human well-being.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#52 — Finding Our Way in the Cosmos

Wed, 16 Nov 2016 21:10:55 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with physicist David Deutsch about the foundations of knowledge, the moral landscape, possible futures for conscious beings, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#51 — The Most Powerful Clown

Thu, 10 Nov 2016 21:23:03 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris talks about the results of the 2016 presidential election and the prospects of a President Trump.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#50 — The Borders of Tolerance

Wed, 02 Nov 2016 18:41:04 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Ayaan Hirsi Ali about Islamism, the migrant crisis in Europe, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#49 — The Lesser Evil

Wed, 26 Oct 2016 19:05:17 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Sullivan about the 2016 presidential election.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#48 — What Is Moral Progress?

Fri, 21 Oct 2016 20:50:36 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with philosopher Peter Singer about the foundations of morality, expanding the circle of our moral concern, politics, free speech, conspiracy thinking, Edward Snowden, the importance of intentions, WWII, euthanasia, eating “happy cows,” and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#47 — The Frontiers of Political Correctness

Thu, 06 Oct 2016 17:35:06 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Gad Saad about political correctness, academic taboos, Islam, immigration, Donald Trump, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#46 — The End of Faith Sessions 3

Wed, 28 Sep 2016 06:27:11 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reads and discusses the third chapter of "The End of Faith." Topics covered: Christianity, Judaism, the Inquisition, witchcraft, anti-Semitism, and the Holocaust.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#45 — Ask Me Anything 5

Tue, 13 Sep 2016 20:42:00 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about how 9/11 changed his life, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, free will, why he podcasts, Milo and the alt-Right, identity politics, Clinton vs. Trump, vegetarianism, and the Hannibal Buress episode.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#44 — Being Good and Doing Good

Mon, 29 Aug 2016 18:30:11 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Oxford philosopher William MacAskill about effective altruism, moral illusions, existential risk, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#43 — What Do Jihadists Really Want?

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 15:02:15 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reads from the latest issue of "Dabiq," the magazine of ISIS, and discusses the beliefs and goals of jihadists worldwide.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#42 — Racism and Violence in America

Tue, 09 Aug 2016 02:48:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris talks to economist Glenn C. Loury about racism, police violence, the Black Lives Matter movement, and related topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#41 — Faith in Reason

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:40:37 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Eric Weinstein about the relationship between faith and reason and about some of the factors that make conversations on important topics so difficult.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#40 — Complexity & Stupidity

Tue, 12 Jul 2016 06:36:10 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris talks to biologist David Krakauer about information, complex systems, and the future of humanity.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#39 — Free Will Revisited

Mon, 04 Jul 2016 02:47:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with philosopher Daniel Dennett about free will.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#38 — The End of Faith Sessions 2

Wed, 15 Jun 2016 19:12:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reads and discusses the second chapter of "The End of Faith." However, the first hour of this podcast focuses on Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, and the political implications of the recent terrorist attack in Orlando. Discussion of The End of Faith begins at 1:04:30.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#37 — Thinking in Public

Tue, 31 May 2016 15:21:21 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson about the public understanding of science, his career as an educator, political atheism, racism, artificial intelligence, alien life, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#36 — What Makes Us Safer?

Mon, 02 May 2016 17:11:47 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with a leading expert on homeland security about the war on terror, profiling, Islamism, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#35 — The End Of Faith Sessions 1

Mon, 25 Apr 2016 18:38:00 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reads and discusses the first chapter of "The End of Faith."

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#34 — The Light of the Mind

Mon, 18 Apr 2016 16:35:20 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with philosopher David Chalmers about the nature of consciousness, the challenges of understanding it scientifically, and the prospect that we will one day build it into our machines.

You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#33 — Ask Me Anything 4

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 07:19:19 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about the recent attacks in Brussels, dealing with anxiety, the science of immortality, fame, liberalism, the Golden Age of Islam, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#32 — The Best Podcast Ever

Sat, 12 Mar 2016 19:24:32 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris talks to Omer Aziz about Islam, Islamism, free speech, and related topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#31 — Evolving Minds

Wed, 09 Mar 2016 05:04:27 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris responds to Omer Aziz and Salon magazine, and then speaks with Jonathan Haidt about the scientific study of morality, the problem of political correctness, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#30 — Inside the Crucible

Sun, 06 Mar 2016 17:06:39 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris briefly revisits the Apple-FBI controversy and then speaks with Michael Weiss about ISIS and the ongoing civil war in Syria.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#29 — Throw Open the Gates

Wed, 24 Feb 2016 20:53:41 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris responds to criticism of his views on the Apple-FBI controversy and then speaks with Maryam Namazie about friendly fire among secularists, profiling, the immigration crisis in Europe, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#28 — Meat Without Misery

Sat, 20 Feb 2016 15:33:23 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris offers a few more thoughts on Clinton vs Sanders, as well as on the ethics of strong encryption. He then speaks with Uma Valeti, cardiologist and CEO of Memphis Meats, about the future of food production.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#27 — Ask Me Anything 3

Sat, 13 Feb 2016 00:35:57 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about free will, meditation, Noam Chomsky, the illusion of the self, Clinton vs. Sanders, the de-platforming of Richard Dawkins, wealth inequality, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#26 — The Logic of Violence

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 20:30:54 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with retired Navy SEAL and author, Jocko Willink. They discuss U.S. foreign policy, war, human evil, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#25 — Behind the Gun

Thu, 14 Jan 2016 17:17:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with former SWAT operator and lead weapons and tactics instructor for the LAPD Metro Division, Scott Reitz. They discuss guns, gun control, police violence, and related topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#24 — Ask Me Anything 2

Mon, 04 Jan 2016 03:51:46 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris answers questions from listeners about Islamism, free will, honesty, vegetarianism, why he doesn’t publish more in academic journals, and other topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#23 — Islam and the Future of Tolerance (Audiobook Excerpts)

Mon, 21 Dec 2015 22:31:34 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris introduces the audio edition of his book with Maajid Nawaz, "Islam and the Future of Tolerance: A Dialogue."

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#22 — Surviving the Cosmos

Wed, 16 Dec 2015 15:41:07 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris talks to physicist David Deutsch about the reach and power of human knowledge, the future of artificial intelligence, and the survival of civilization.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#21 — On the Maintenance of Civilization

Sun, 22 Nov 2015 22:00:35 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with author Douglas Murray about Islamism, liberalism, civil society, and the migrant crisis in Europe.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#20 — Still Sleepwalking Toward Armageddon

Sun, 15 Nov 2015 23:54:38 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris reflects on the recent terrorist attacks in Paris.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#19 — The Riddle Of The Gun (Revisited)

Thu, 08 Oct 2015 18:40:57 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris discusses his views about guns and gun control in light of a recent mass shooting.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#18 — The Multiverse & You (& You & You & You...)

Wed, 23 Sep 2015 19:41:31 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with MIT cosmologist Max Tegmark about the foundations of science, our current understanding of the universe, and the risks of future breakthroughs in artificial intelligence.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#17 — What I Really Think About Profiling

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 23:47:05 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris responds to misrepresentations of his views (again).

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#16 — The Dark Side

Wed, 26 Aug 2015 04:02:24 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Paul Bloom talk about Donald Trump, torture, trophy hunting, and other terrors.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#15 — Questions Along the Path

Tue, 11 Aug 2015 20:28:01 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Joseph Goldstein discuss the practice of meditation and answer questions that came from listeners in response to their first conversation, "The Path and the Goal."

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#14 — The Virtues of Cold Blood

Wed, 29 Jul 2015 22:28:13 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with psychologist Paul Bloom about the limitations of empathy as a guide to moral reasoning.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#13 — The Moral Gaze

Tue, 21 Jul 2015 06:09:28 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with the filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer about his remarkable documentaries, "The Act of Killing" and "The Look of Silence."

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#12 — Leaving the Church

Fri, 03 Jul 2015 21:18:15 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper, granddaughter of Fred Phelps of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#11 — Shouldering the Burden of History

Sat, 27 Jun 2015 08:11:55 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris and Dan Carlin (host of the Hardcore History and Common Sense podcasts) discuss American interventionism, the war on terror, and related topics.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#10 — Faith vs. Fact

Tue, 19 May 2015 21:35:34 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris interviews biologist Jerry Coyne about his new book, "Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible."

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#9 — Final Thoughts On Chomsky

Fri, 15 May 2015 03:34:46 GMT

Sam Harris reflects on his failure to have a productive conversation with Noam Chomsky.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#8 — Ask Me Anything 1

Fri, 24 Apr 2015 22:35:48 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense Podcast, Sam Harris talks about atheism, artificial intelligence, rape, public speaking, meditation, consciousness, free will, intellectual honesty, and other topics.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#7 — Through the Eyes of a Cult

Wed, 25 Mar 2015 03:47:24 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris discusses the Heaven's Gate suicide cult and argues that we all have something important to learn from them about the power of belief.

You can support the Making Sense podcast at samharris.org/support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#6 — The Chapel Hill Murders and 'Militant' Atheism

Wed, 18 Feb 2015 00:53:00 GMT

Sam Harris responds to the charge that "militant" atheism is responsible for the murder of three Muslim students in North Carolina.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#5 — After Charlie Hebdo and Other Thoughts

Thu, 22 Jan 2015 04:42:49 GMT

Sam Harris answers reader questions in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris.

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#4 — The Path and the Goal

Tue, 28 Oct 2014 17:23:34 GMT

In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Joseph Goldstein about the practice of meditation.

You can support the Making Sense podcast at samharris.org/support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#3 — WAKING UP — Chapter One

Thu, 21 Aug 2014 17:06:50 GMT

This is the complete first chapter of Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris.

To purchase the audiobook: http://amzn.to/1v1NEIK

To purchase the print edition: http://amzn.to/1mqiAKL

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#2 — Why Don't I Criticize Israel?

Sun, 27 Jul 2014 16:31:00 GMT

In the wake of the recent war in Gaza, many readers have asked "Why don't you criticize Israel?" Here is my response. You can read an annotated transcript of this podcast at: http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/why-dont-i-criticize-israel

You can support the Making Sense Podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#1 — Drugs And The Meaning Of Life

Thu, 05 Jun 2014 06:18:42 GMT

The full text of this essay can be read here:

http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/drugs-and-the-meaning-of-life

You can support the Making Sense podcast at samharris.org/support.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to talk to a Christian

Tue, 12 Nov 2013 04:38:29 GMT

This is an edited excerpt from remarks that Sam Harris made in a debate with a Christian apologist at Notre Dame University in 2011. The full debate can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqaHXKLRKzg

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Looking for the Self (26 Minutes)

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:46:22 GMT

This is a 26-minute mindfulness meditation, led by Sam Harris. For more information visit www.samharris.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mindfulness Meditation (9 Minutes)

Thu, 26 Sep 2013 19:46:20 GMT

This is a 9-minute mindfulness meditation, led by Sam Harris. For more information visit www.samharris.org.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.