Sam Harris
Neuroscientist & Author · b. 1967
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Sam Harris is an American author, neuroscientist, and podcast host known worldwide for his clear-eyed criticisms of religion and his work on consciousness, ethics, and meditation. He earned a Ph.D in cognitive neuroscience from UCLA and has spent his career asking what we can know about morality, meaning, and the mind — without appealing to faith.
Alongside Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett, Harris is one of the “Four Horsemen of New Atheism” — a group whose books and debates shaped a generation of secular thinking.
Daniel Dennett, Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris
Morality is objective — and scientific
Harris argues that human wellbeing is a real phenomenon, which means moral claims can be true or false. The Moral Landscape presents this as a scientific project, not merely a philosophical one.
Not all religions are equally harmful
While critical of all supernatural belief, Harris contends that Islam's specific doctrines present unique challenges in the modern world — a position that put him at odds with some secularists.
Spirituality without supernaturalism
Harris takes meditation and contemplative experience seriously, arguing they are real and valuable — but require no religious framework to understand or practice.
Free will is an illusion
Neuroscience shows our decisions are initiated before we're conscious of them. Harris argues this should change how we think about praise, blame, and the criminal justice system.
Essential books
The Waking Up Podcast
Harris’s podcast — Waking Up — is one of the most intellectually ambitious shows in the space, covering consciousness, meditation, AI, ethics, politics, and religion. He also built a meditation app at wakingup.com that strips away the spiritual language and focuses on the practice itself.
Political views
Harris describes himself as a liberal and has supported positions like higher taxes on the wealthy, same-sex marriage, and drug decriminalisation. He’s also been a persistent critic of political Islam — a position that has put him at odds with some on the left, and led to debates with Ben Affleck and Cenk Uygur. His views reward careful reading rather than summary — he tends to be more nuanced than either his critics or fans suggest.
Best quotes
“Consider it: every person you have ever met, every person will suffer the loss of his friends and family. All are going to lose everything they love in this world. Why would one want to be anything but kind to them in the meantime?”
“If you think that it would be impossible to improve upon the Ten Commandments as a statement of morality, you really owe it to yourself to read some other scriptures.”
“The president of the United States has claimed, on more than one occasion, to be in dialogue with God. If he said that he was talking to God through his hairdryer, this would precipitate a national emergency. I fail to see how the addition of a hairdryer makes the claim more ridiculous.”
“We have a choice. We have two options as human beings. We have a choice between conversation and war. That's it. Conversation and violence. And faith is a conversation stopper.”
“Spirituality must be distinguished from religion and rescued from the obscurity into which it has fallen.”
“The fact that people are poor or oppressed tells us nothing about the existence of God.”
Continue exploring
Watch the best debates
Harris vs. William Lane Craig at Notre Dame is one of the sharpest on our list.
Christopher Hitchens
Fellow Horseman and author of God Is Not Great.
What is atheism?
A friendly introduction to atheism and what it actually means.
Quotes & criticisms
More great lines from Harris and others.
Morality without God
Morality without God — Harris's central thesis.