Who is Sam Harris? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Also Known As: Samuel Benjamin Harris

Age: 57 Years, 57 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Annaka Harris (m. 2004)

father: Berkeley Harris

mother: Susan Harris

Writers Philosophers

U.S. State: California

City: Los Angeles

Founder/Co-Founder: Project Reason

More Facts

education: Stanford University, University Of California, Los Angeles

awards: PEN/Martha Albrand Award
Webby Award

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Childhood & Early Life

Samuel Benjamin “Sam” Harris was born on April 9, 1967 in Los Angeles, California, the USA. His mother is TV producer Susan Harris, a secular Jew, and his father is actor Berkeley Harris who belongs to a Quaker background.

Harris was raised by his mother after his parents divorced when he was two. He once stated that his upbringing was completely secular and that his parents hardly discussed religion.

He began attending Stanford University to study English. However, in his second year, he moved to Nepal and India where he studied meditation with Hindu and Buddhist religious teachers for eleven years. In 1997, Harris returned to Stanford, earning his B.A. degree in philosophy in 2000.

Later, he enrolled at University of California, Los Angeles from where he received his Ph.D. degree in cognitive neuroscience in the year 2009.

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Career

Sam Harris’ first book titled ‘The End of Faith’ was published in 2004. It was well received and became a best-seller. Four year later, he published his second book. Titled ‘Letter to a Christian Nation,’ it is in the form of an open letter written in response to the feedback he got following the publication of ‘The End of Faith.’

Harris' writing mainly focuses on criticism of religion and neuroscience. He has formerly blogged for the ‘Huffington Post,’ ‘The Washington Post’ and ‘Truthdig.’ Moreover, his articles have appeared in numerous publications, such as ‘The New York Times,’ ‘Newsweek,’ ‘The Los Angeles Times’ and ‘The Boston Globe.’

Till date, the philosopher has made several radio and TV appearances, including on ABC News, The O'Reilly Factor, Tucker, NPR, Book TV, Real Time, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

In 2005, he made an appearance in the documentary movie ‘The God Who Wasn't There’. The following year, he was a featured speaker at the ‘Beyond Belief: Science, Religion, Reason and Survival’ conference.

Harris has also appeared multiple times on the ‘Point of Inquiry’ radio podcast. In April 2007, he debated with Rick Warren for Newsweek magazine.

In 2010, his book ‘The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values’ got published. In this book, the author states that many people have confused the relationship between science, facts, and morality.

He then came out with a long-form essay book titled ‘Lying’ in 2011. The same year, he debated with William Lane Craig on the connection between God and objective morality.

In 2012, Harris published his short book ‘Free Will’ in which he states that the truth about the human mind cannot undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom.

In September 2013, Harris began hosting ‘Waking Up with Sam Harris,’ a podcast in which he responds to critics, discusses his views, and interviews guests.

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He published his book ‘Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion’ (2014) in which he discussed numerous topics such as secular spirituality, the illusion of the self, meditation, and psychedelics. He then came with another book ‘Islam and the Future of Tolerance’ in 2015.

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Major Works

Sam Harris serves as the chief executive as well as one of the founders of Project Reason. This non-profit foundation is dedicated to make society aware about secular values and scientific knowledge. Its advisory board consists of various scientists, atheists, and sceptics, including Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Bill Maher, and Richard Dawkins.

Criticism of Abrahamic Religions

Sam Harris states that religion is one of the “most perverse misuses of intelligence” humans have ever devised. He believes that religion promotes bad ideas and even compares modern religious practices to the myths of the Ancient Greeks.

He also believes that the term “atheist” will become obsolete only when people achieve a level of intellectual integrity where they no longer have to pretend to be certain about things they are not certain about.

Views on Christianity

Sam Harris has described Catholicism as "ghoulish machinery set to whirling through the ages by the opposing winds of shame and sadism." He also asserts that the Catholic Church has demonized human sexuality to an extent unmatched by any other institution.

Harris has also condemned the Catholic Church's structure and has blamed its opposition to the utilization of contraception for shorter lifespans, poverty, and the proliferation of HIV/AIDS.

Views on Judaism

According to the American author, Judaism is basically discordant. It is absurd in its literalism and also “at odds with the civilizing insights of modernity as any other religion.” He also states that Jewish settlers who once exercised their "freedom of belief" on disputed lands are currently one of the chief obstacles to peace in the Middle East.

Views on Islam

Sam Harris thinks that Islam is more belligerent and unfavourable to the regulations of civil discourse than other religions. He says the belief that “Islam is a 'peaceful’ religion” is a dangerous fallacy. Harris has also criticized the usage of the term "Islamophobia".

Views on Spirituality

Harris’ concept of spirituality does not involve faith in God. He rejects the dichotomy between scientific rationality and religious spirituality and favors a middle pathway that preserves science and spirituality but does not involve religion.

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He feels that spirituality should be understood and practiced in the light of scientific disciplines like psychology and neuroscience.

Views on Western Feminists

Sam Harris says that Western feminists must fight against Muslim oppression of females rather than focussing much on abortion rights at home. He once stated in a podcast that Western feminists spend more time grumbling about “Gamergate” rather than actually fighting for women's rights.

Views on Meditation

Harris' mediation practice developed from Dzogchen and Vipassana. He says that the key purpose of meditation is to allow its practitioners to realize that the feeling of self is a mere illusion. He is also in the process of developing a meditation app for smartphones.

Criticism

In a post titled ‘The Saga of Slippery Sam,’ the famous biologist PZ Myers made a sarcastic remark regarding Harris stating that Harris has an amazing talent for saying the most awful things. He also condemned his followers by saying that they will rise up in righteous fury and insist that he didn’t actually say ‘that’ thing.

Glenn Greenwald once claimed that Harris is one of those few intellectuals who do not own what they say. According to Greenwald, Harris publishes provocatively titled articles containing equally provocative assertions. However, when others criticize him for it, he will go on to insist that people did not understand what he was trying to say instead of owning up to what he actually said.

Personal Life

In 2004, Sam Harris got married to editor Annaka Harris. As of now, the couple has two daughters.

He is trained in martial arts (MA) and practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

He donates a significant portion of the revenue generated by each of his new podcast chapter to various charitable organizations.

He is reluctant to disclose his personal details, such as his address citing security reasons.

Sam Harris Biography