Making Sense with Sam Harris
Sam Harris
Join neuroscientist, philosopher, and five-time New York Times best-selling author Sam Harris as he explores important and controversial questions about the mind, society, current events, moral philosophy, religion, and rationality—with an overarching focus on how a growing understanding of ourselves and the world is changing our sense of how we should live.
Sam is also the creator of the Waking Up app. Combining Sam's decades of mindfulness practice, profound wisdom from varied philosophical and contemplative traditions, and a commitment to a secular, scientific worldview, Waking Up is a resource for anyone interested in living a more examined, fulfilling life—and a new operating system for the mind.
Waking Up offers free subscriptions to anyone who can't afford one, and donates a minimum of 10% of profits to the most effective charities around the world. To learn more, please go to WakingUp.com.
Sam Harris received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA.
Sam is also the creator of the Waking Up app. Combining Sam's decades of mindfulness practice, profound wisdom from varied philosophical and contemplative traditions, and a commitment to a secular, scientific worldview, Waking Up is a resource for anyone interested in living a more examined, fulfilling life—and a new operating system for the mind.
Waking Up offers free subscriptions to anyone who can't afford one, and donates a minimum of 10% of profits to the most effective charities around the world. To learn more, please go to WakingUp.com.
Sam Harris received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 15, 2017 • 27min
#97 — The Impossible War
Filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick discuss their 10-year-long journey creating The Vietnam War documentary series. They highlight the abundance of war footage, interviews with veterans, and the documentary's relevance due to the passage of time. They also discuss the challenges of storytelling from multiple perspectives and the importance of sound design. The podcast explores the collaborative process of documentary filmmaking, the impact of music on the protest movement, and reflects on moral relativism and the ambiguity of war.
9 snips
Sep 10, 2017 • 51min
#96 — The Nature of Consciousness
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. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
4 snips
Sep 5, 2017 • 47min
#95 — What You Need to Know About Climate Change
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. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
Aug 29, 2017 • 37min
#94 — Frontiers of Intelligence
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. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
Aug 21, 2017 • 40min
#93 — Identity & Terror
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. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
Aug 16, 2017 • 1h
#92 — The Limits of Persuasion
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. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
Aug 9, 2017 • 43min
#91 — The Biology of Good and Evil
Neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky discusses baboon behavior, brain evolution, free will illusion, justice, and religion with Sam Harris. They explore the impact of stress on the brain, frontal cortex function, and the intertwining of reason and emotion in decision-making.
Aug 6, 2017 • 1h 1min
#90 — Living With Violence
Sam Harris delves into the primacy of human intuition in predicting violence with guest Gavin de Becker. They discuss the importance of trusting intuition, various types of violence in society, and the power of avoidance over combat skills for self-defense.
Jul 25, 2017 • 22min
#89 — On Becoming a Better Person
Sam Harris discusses with David Brooks themes of self-gratification, sin, and ethics of honesty. They explore moral development and humility with examples of individuals transforming into better people. The complexities of balancing virtues, developing character through weaknesses, and the significance of moral concepts like sin and virtue are also highlighted.
Jul 21, 2017 • 27min
#88 — Must We Accept a Nuclear North Korea?
Sam Harris discusses the threat of a nuclear-armed North Korea with expert Mark Bowden. They touch on the complexities and challenges of the North Korea crisis, Bowden's career journey, the Vietnam War, ethical dilemmas in foreign policy, and the risks of dealing with North Korea's nuclear capability.
