Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

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. Yuval Noah Harari has a PhD in History from the University of Oxford and lectures at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specializing in world history. His books have been translated into 50+ languages, with 12+ million copies sold worldwide. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind   looked deep into our past, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow  considered far-future scenarios, and 21 Lessons for the 21st Century  focuses on the biggest questions of the present moment. Twitter: @harari_yuval

Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He taught at the University of Virginia for 16 years before moving to NYU-Stern in 2011. He was named one of the “top global thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the “top world thinkers” by Prospect magazine. He is the co-developer of Moral Foundations theory, and of the research site YourMorals.org. He is a co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, which advocates for viewpoint diversity in higher education. He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom and The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. His latest book (with Greg Lukianoff) is The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting a generation up for failure. Website: jonathanhaidt.com Twitter: @JonHaidt

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. Jonathan Haidt is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and then did post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He taught at the University of Virginia for 16 years before moving to NYU-Stern in 2011. He was named one of the “top global thinkers” by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the “top world thinkers” by Prospect magazine. He is the co-developer of Moral Foundations theory, and of the research site YourMorals.org. He is a co-founder of HeterodoxAcademy.org, which advocates for viewpoint diversity in higher education. He is the author of The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom and The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. His latest book (with Greg Lukianoff) is The Coddling of the American Mind: How good intentions and bad ideas are setting a generation up for failure.   Episodes that have been re-released as part of the Best of Making Sense series may have been edited for relevance since their original airing.

Jaron Lanier is a scientist, musician, and writer best known for his work in virtual reality and his advocacy of humanism and sustainable economics in a digital context. His 1980s start-up VPL Research created the first commercial VR products and introduced avatars, multi-person virtual world experiences, and prototypes of major VR applications such as surgical simulation. His books Who Owns the Future? and You Are Not a Gadget were international bestsellers, and Dawn of the New Everything was named a 2017 best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Vox. His most recent book is 10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.

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. Jaron Lanier is a scientist, musician, and writer best known for his work in virtual reality and his advocacy of humanism and sustainable economics in a digital context. His 1980s start-up VPL Research created the first commercial VR products and introduced avatars, multi-person virtual world experiences, and prototypes of major VR applications such as surgical simulation. His books Who Owns the Future? and You Are Not a Gadget were international bestsellers, and Dawn of the New Everything was named a 2017 best book of the year by The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Vox. His most recent book is 10 Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now.   Episodes that have been re-released as part of the Best of Making Sense series may have been edited for relevance since their original airing.

Sam Harris speaks with Martie Haselton about sex and gender, hormones in human psychology, transgenderism, and the unique hormonal experiences of women. They discuss evolutionary psychology, Darwinian feminism, and the challenges faced by transgender individuals in gender transitions. They also explore gender differences in behavior and fertility, including the importance of studying both sexes in research.

Q&A with Joseph GoldsteinHow should people with a history of trauma practice meditation?How do meditation teachers recognize progress in their students?How can a person’s claims to freedom and "enlightenment" be evaluated?What are further indicators of progress on the path of meditative insight?If the goal of meditation is to transcend desire, how is that different from mere apathy and purposelessness?How should we view the unethical behavior of certain (supposedly great) meditation masters?How do you reconcile concerns about racial and gender diversity with the illusion of the self?Do psychedelics supersede the practice of meditation?What is a thought? And how can something so insubstantial define our subjectivity?Is being lost in thought analogous to a mental illness?What is the right amount of effort to apply in meditation?What is the biggest misconception about Buddhism?What’s the difference between mindfulness and other techniques of meditation, such as TM?Speaking of "consciousness and its contents" seems to suggest a duality between subject and object. In what sense can this duality be transcended?Does mindfulness exist on a spectrum of strength or depth, or is progress simply a matter of having more moments of it?Is there a range of natural talent among meditators?Can we think about traditional Buddhist concepts like karma and rebirth in a fully secular, rational way?How can we understand the concept of “emptiness” in Buddhism?

Sam Harris speaks with Coleman Hughes about race, racism, and identity politics. Coleman Hughes is an undergraduate philosophy major at Columbia University. His writing has been featured in Quillette, Heterodox Academy, and in the Columbia Daily Spectator. Twitter:@coldxman

What are your thoughts on suicide?What do you know about hypnosis?Do you see any value in being lost in thought, or is it always harmful?If you could acquire PhD-level knowledge of any subject other than neuroscience what would it be?My friend’s sister was murdered, and she claims that her faith is the only thing keeping her going. What would you say to her?Have you ever struggled with depression?Is there anyone you find intellectually intimidating? If so, why?You often speak of a failure of Muslims to assimilate to western society. Why should they have to assimilate?What do you think is the best strategy for Democrats to combat Trump and the GOP?Can you reflect on your two debates with Jordan Peterson in Vancouver?Why won’t you speak with Ta-Nehisi Coates on the podcast?You’ve said that it’s possible to cut through the illusion of free will. But you also acknowledge that there is a difference between voluntary and involuntary action. What is the difference in the absence of free will?What would constitute evidence for free will?What are your reading habits?How do you balance loyalty and honesty?

Sam Harris speaks with Ian Bremmer about the failure of globalism and the rise of populism. They discuss immigration, trade, automation, wealth inequality, Trump, identity politics and other topics. Ian Bremmer is the president and founder of Eurasia Group, the leading global political risk research and consulting firm. Eurasia Group provides analysis and expertise about how political developments and national security dynamics move markets and shape investment environments across the globe. Bremmer created Wall Street’s first global political risk index (GPRI). He is the founding chairman of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Geopolitical Risk and is an active public speaker. He has authored several books including the national bestsellers Every Nation for Itself: Winners and Losers in a G-Zero World and The End of the Free Market: Who Wins the War Between States and Corporations? Bremmer is a contributor to the Financial Times A-List and Reuters.com. He has written hundreds of articles for publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, Harvard Business Review, and Foreign Affairs. He appears regularly on CNBC, Fox News Channel, Bloomberg Television, National Public Radio, the BBC, and other networks. Bremmer earned a PhD in political science from Stanford University in 1994 and was the youngest-ever national fellow at the Hoover Institution. He is a global research professor at New York University and has held faculty positions at Columbia University, the EastWest Institute, and the World Policy Institute. In 2007, Bremmer was named a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. His analysis focuses on global macro political trends and emerging markets, which he defines as “those countries where politics matter at least as much as economics for market outcomes.” His most recent book is Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism. Twitter: @ianbremmer