Sam Harris
Harris’ writing deals with matters of religious criticism, neuroscience, and morality. His degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in neuroscience inform his writing. Harris’ books have been published in more than 20 languages and they are now available as audiobooks here on Audible Australia.
The End of Faith was Harris’ first book – it offered a fearless analysis of the dangers of religion, “religious beliefs are simply beyond the scope of rational discourse” according to Harris who sets about dismantling what he sees as the suspension of reason and rationality afforded to religion and the religious. Harris describes his criticism of religion (in this book, and broadly) as focusing on what he considers “bad ideas, held for bad reasons, leading to bad behavior”. The End of Faith earned Harris the 2005 Pen Award for nonfiction.
In addition to his books, he has also been published in The New York Times, The Economist, The Times, The Boston Globe, and The Atlantic.
Harris hosts regular discussions on his 'Waking Up' podcast which explores questions about the human mind, society, and current events. In 2010, Harris delivered a TED Talk titled ‘Science can answer moral questions’ – it has been viewed more than three million times. More recently Harris revisited TED to deliver a second talk, titled, ‘Can we build AI without losing control over it’.
Sam Harris was born on 9 April 1967 in Los Angeles. He is married and has two daughters.
Audiobooks by Bestselling Author Sam Harris
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Lying
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 450
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 381
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 370
As it was in Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, and Othello, so it is in life. Most forms of private vice and public evil are kindled and sustained by lies. Acts of adultery and other personal betrayals, financial fraud, government corruption - even murder and genocide - generally require an additional moral defect: a willingness to lie. In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie.
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5 out of 5 stars
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packs a huge punch in a short book
- By callum.price on 28-04-2020
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Free Will
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 412
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 334
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 329
A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, morality—as well as feelings of remorse or personal achievement—without first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion.
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5 out of 5 stars
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genuinely thought provoking
- By Angelina Russo on 25-05-2016
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The Moral Landscape
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 415
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 356
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 349
Sam Harris has discovered that most people, from secular scientists to religious fundamentalists, agree on one point: science has nothing to say on the subject of human values. Indeed, science’s failure to address questions of meaning and morality has become the primary justification for religious faith.The underlying claim is that while science is the best authority on the workings of the physical universe, religion is the best authority on meaning, values, morality, and leading a good life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Sam Harris is the tits.
- By Amazon Customer on 19-09-2016
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Letter to a Christian Nation
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Jordan Bridges
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 147
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
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Story5 out of 5 stars 123
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
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4 out of 5 stars
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Too short
- By Nick Clutterbuck on 13-05-2020
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Lying
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 450
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 381
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 370
As it was in Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, and Othello, so it is in life. Most forms of private vice and public evil are kindled and sustained by lies. Acts of adultery and other personal betrayals, financial fraud, government corruption - even murder and genocide - generally require an additional moral defect: a willingness to lie. In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
packs a huge punch in a short book
- By callum.price on 28-04-2020
-
Free Will
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 1 hr and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 412
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 334
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 329
A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, morality—as well as feelings of remorse or personal achievement—without first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
genuinely thought provoking
- By Angelina Russo on 25-05-2016
-
The Moral Landscape
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 6 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 415
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 356
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 349
Sam Harris has discovered that most people, from secular scientists to religious fundamentalists, agree on one point: science has nothing to say on the subject of human values. Indeed, science’s failure to address questions of meaning and morality has become the primary justification for religious faith.The underlying claim is that while science is the best authority on the workings of the physical universe, religion is the best authority on meaning, values, morality, and leading a good life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Sam Harris is the tits.
- By Amazon Customer on 19-09-2016
-
Letter to a Christian Nation
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Jordan Bridges
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 147
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 123
"Forty-four percent of the American population is convinced that Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead sometime in the next 50 years," writes Sam Harris. "Imagine the consequences if any significant component of the U.S. government actually believed that the world was about to end and that its ending would be glorious. The fact that nearly half of the American population apparently believes this...should be considered a moral and intellectual emergency."
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4 out of 5 stars
-
Too short
- By Nick Clutterbuck on 13-05-2020
Audiobook Review — Waking Up by Sam Harris
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Waking Up
- By: Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris
- Length: 5 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,239
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,063
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,056
For the millions of people who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s new book is a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice informed by neuroscience and psychology. From bestselling author, neuroscientist, and “new atheist” Sam Harris, Waking Up is for the increasingly large numbers of people who follow no religion, but who suspect that Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history could not have all been epileptics, schizophrenics, or frauds.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great insight into the mind
- By sam on 10-03-2015
“Most insightful and transformative book of the decade. We will look back on this book as one of the most profound and important books of the 21st century. Sam Harris’ arguments are as profound as they are valid, and his expression of the ideas are eloquent.” Peter, Audible listener.
Audiobook Reviews — Islam and the Future of Tolerance by Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz
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Islam and the Future of Tolerance
- A Dialogue
- By: Maajid Nawaz, Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris, Maajid Nawaz
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 275
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 239
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 231
In this short book, Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz invite you to join an urgently needed conversation: Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem drawn to extremism? What do words like Islamism, jihadism, and fundamentalism mean in today's world? Remarkable for the breadth and depth of its analysis, this dialogue between a famous atheist and a former radical is all the more startling for its decorum. Harris and Nawaz have produced something genuinely new: they engage one of the most polarizing issues of our time - fearlessly and fully - and actually make progress.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Vote 1 Maajid & Sam
- By Dave on 21-01-2016
“Maajid and Sam are refreshingly intelligent, well-spoken men who together are leading the way forward in our troubled times. I look forward to them collaborating again in the future.” Dave, Audible listener.
“A vital dialogue. The book is an excellent example of how two reasonable people with differing views can come together to have a rational and informed discussion around a topic with such far reaching consequences for civilisation.” Natalie, Audible listener.