Sam Harris

I've been too lazy to update, but my reading has taken a turn more toward nonfiction, particularly different arenas of science and rationalism, as well as philosophy and social science related to this field.

I have recently finished reading all three published works by Sam Harris, and thought I'd share. Harris has PhD's in both philosophy and neuroscience, and his books reflect that.

The End of Faith - This book was on a top 10 "essentials" list for atheists and agnostics that I recently saw. I admit to being pretty bitter about my own religious upbringing, but even i was a little shocked at the anger that comes across here. Harris pulls no punches in his criticism of faith itself. He says that any worldview based on things for which no evidence can be given is useless. More than that, he scoffs at the idea that Islamic terrorists are a fringe of lunatics. He blames faith itself. It's got shock value, but I can't say I disagreed with any of his thesis.

Letter to a Christian Nation - This short "letter" contains many of the same themes as The End of Faith. As far as I could tell it was a more concise distiallation, but specifically directed to Christian America rather than faith at large.

The Moral Landscape - In his most recent book, Harris expands on some ideas touched on in his first book. Specifically, he believes that science can determine objective right and wrong actions as defined by the good of people (both individuals and groups). Taking it further, he states that there can be morality based in science and rationality rather than faith. I thought the idea was interesting, but that the book wasn't as well written as it could have been. For that matter, I don't think Harris is a good writer. His prose can be choppy and the style jarring, but as a scientist and philosopher, his books are valuable.