Listing books by Sam Harris
Full title | The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason [permalink] |
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Language | English |
Author | Sam Harris (author) |
Publisher | W. W. Norton |
Category | Religion |
Publication year | 2004 |
ISBN | 0-393-32765-5 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
Pages | 348 |
Synopsis | The central thesis in End of Faith is that faith is dangerous, because beliefs unsupported by evidence, when put into action, can't be reasoned with. Harris gives a lot of historical examples of this (indeed, the book has a pretty extensive bibliography in the back), and the book is peppered with endnotes (and a few pages-long ones, at that!). The last two chapters are called A Science of Good and Evil (where Harris tries to map out an emerging science of morality) and Experiments in Consciousness (where Harris basically advocates meditation as a rational way of garnering knowledge about subjectivity, and where he doesn't reject the notion of consciousness surviving physical death). While I reject the notion that personhood survives death (that is, I think consciousness is dependent upon the brain being able to function properly and that when it eventually succumbs to decay, that'll be the end of us), I can wholeheartedly join Harris in admitting ignorance on that question. |
Review | While I can't say the book was an entirely enjoyable read, it's definitely well-written and engaging. What turned me off was the incessant referencing to past atrocities. However, that was in part (I think) the intent of the book, and in that sense it succeeded. I can definitely recommend it, nonetheless. |
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Full title | Free Will [permalink] |
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Language | English |
Author | Sam Harris (author) |
Category | Philosophy |
Publication year | 2012 |
Pages | 96 |
Synopsis | Using psychology, results from neuroscience, and clever reasoning, Sam Harris shows how free will is an illusion. |
Full title | Letter to a Christian Nation [permalink] |
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Language | English |
Author | Sam Harris (author) |
Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Category | Religion |
Publication year | 2006 |
ISBN | 0-307-26577-3 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
Pages | 96 |
Synopsis | This book is a criticism of religion. Specifically, it criticizes the inherently stupid things being done by humans in the name of the particular branch of religion that they happen to have been brought up with (like opposing abortion, stem-cell research, and embracing the idea of martyrdom). It's written as an open letter to a Christian, so it didn't particularly speak to me, but I imagine a Christian might have a mind-opening experience if he read it. |
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Full title | Lying [permalink] |
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Language | English |
Authors | Annaka Harris (editor) and Sam Harris (author) |
Categories | Essay, philosophy and psychology |
Publication year | 2011 |
Original publication year | 2011 |
Pages | 66 |
Synopsis | Lying is a very short book about the implications and morality of lying. In short, Harris argues (successfully, in my opinion) that one should never lie, even about the smallest things, if what you're trying to do is build good relationships with people. He even goes into border cases, such as a wife asking her husband if she looks good in a dress (one can answer the sub-text of a question, not necessarily the literal meaning of it) and someone hiding a Jew when a Nazi comes a-knockin' on the door (in that case, you're not really trying to build a lasting relationship with the person). |
Review | Sam Harris is a really talented writer, and reading his material is never boring. This book is no exception, and the fact that it's as short as it is, is a point in its favor. It's the perfect length when all you're doing is making an argument, not laying out in detail a theory. (I wish more writers would be similarly inspired to brevity.) |
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Full title | The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values [permalink] |
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Language | English |
Author | Sam Harris (author) |
Publisher | Black Swan |
Categories | Philosophy and science |
Publication year | 2012 |
Original publication year | 2010 |
ISBN | 978-0-552-77638-7 [Amazon, B&N, Abe, Powell's] |
Pages | 380 |
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