Sam Harris - Misconceptions About Atheism

July 3rd, 2009

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=1456 Author Sam Harris addresses what he feels are several commonly-held misconceptions about atheism. ----- "Believing the Unbelievable: The Clash Between Faith and Reason in the Modern World" with Sam Harris speaking at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival. Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion. Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The International Herald Tribune, Der Spiegel, The Globe and Mail, New Scientist, Wired, SEED Magazine, and many other journals. Mr. Harris makes regular appearances on television and radio to talk about the danger that religion now poses to modern societies. His essays have appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. He blogs for the Washington Post / Newsweek website: On Faith, the Huffington Post, TruthDig, and Edge.org. Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. He is completing a doctorate in neuroscience.

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Comments to “Sam Harris - Misconceptions About Atheism”

  1. GALAHALT Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 22:06:23 Incidentally, as an engineer, I'm sure you owe a significant portion of your knowledge base to the fruits of other people's ingenuity. If I was you, I wouldn't be too critical of people who come to an atheistic conclusion with the help of other people's insights. Not unless you intend to move to a deserted island somewhere and figure everything out for yourself. But continue to feel superior if you must. Some people need to feel that way to overcome their insecurity.
  2. Fyfe Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 22:29:22 Well, even rats have functioning brains, so I think your first sentence is an overstatement. Also, I'm not sure what it means that you exclude people "under the spell of blind faith" from your contempt. I'm not exactly sure what that constitutes. All I know is that there are very intelligent people that don't question their faith, often out of fear, compounded by years of brainwashing. Appealing to their intelligence, not belittling them, often works better.
  3. BISHOP Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 22:52:21 For the atheist 'spiritual' is a metaphor. It is like a buddhist having a spritual experience, even though they do not believe in a creator or an eternal soul. Meditation can be a transcending and uplifting experience, believe me, I meditate regularly, it is awesome :).
  4. RAHIMATEH Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 23:15:20 enderjsvl I am agnostic-atheist and I don't care to win anyone over, but I have to say after reading the Bible, the Torah and the Quran, I feel that anyone who is not under the spell of blind faith and who takes that gibberish seriously doesn't have a functioning brain. I like to add that anyone who becomes an atheist as a result of outside influence is also an idiot; non-belief in God should be a personal conclusion based on personal analysis and reasoning not on what someone else thinks.
  5. MALLORY Says:
    January 13th, 2009 at 23:38:19 Very profound
  6. Lancelot Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 00:01:18 Madalyn O'hair once applied for Soviet citizenship in 1956. Failing that she went on to sue the schoolboard in an attempt to remove prayer and bible reading just to make herself look good for the godless Russkies.
  7. Evangeline Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 00:24:17 After a quick internet search, I did not find this quote anywhere. There was a YouTube video of a speech by Barker that, supposedly, included remarks about the morality of rape, but I could not be certain as the audio the clip had been disabled. I was able to find someone's blogspot which seemed to include an interview with Sam Harris where he suggests that religion, like rape, may be a vestige of our primitive nature that we must simply overcome. Not sure what your point was there, bgruj.
  8. AITHNE Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 00:47:16 Sneaky. I can sympathize with the knee-jerk reaction to hurl insults at someone who refuses to see reason, but you are absolutely right about that losing you the argument. Its usually best to take the high road in a discussion about faith/religion, because you never know whether something you say will really strike someone later. I recently ignored my own good advice and told off someone in another board, only to have to apologize for it later, because I felt like an ass. *^_^*
  9. Josh Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 01:10:15 Lol. I actually am an atheist. I was just curious to see if I could get a reply from a youtube user that was as reasoned and calm as Sam Harris always is. You started out good, but then you went and made that whole "functioning brain" comment. Bummers. Future reference, you're not going to win anyone over with insults.
  10. GYURKA Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 01:33:14 enderjsvl A "spiritual experience" is nothing more than a peaceful state of mind and a deep sense of oneself and anyone can experience it, even an atheist. In fact, if you had a functioning brain and you weren't a total ignorant you would have known that people from different religions who don't believe in Jesus experience spirituality, so that puts a hole in your theory unless you are one of those imbeciles who thinks "spiritual experience" is a Christian monopoly, are you? Peace.
  11. Launder Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 01:56:13 "I don't understand how he can claim that a person who doesn't believe in God can have a spiritual experience. Honestly, how can one define a spirit without a God to grant it." If you don't understand it, well, look in the dictionary. The words "Soul" or "Spirit" have nothing to do with Yahweh to begin with.
  12. WEKESA Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 02:19:12 "Rape can be moral." -Dan Barker (former fundie xtian now a fundie atheist)
  13. Crowley Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 02:42:11 What an idiot. I'm a Christian, and I don't understand how he can claim that a person who doesn't believe in God can have a spiritual experience. Honestly, how can one define a spirit without a God to grant it. Atheists claim to be so logical but they are actually no more logical than the average religious peddler.
  14. Nanci Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 03:05:10 I read both his books, and his second one front to back in one sitting, he is the fucking man.
  15. Vince Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 03:28:09 Sam Harris is the sensible & intelligent atheist that has finally placed forth the truthes all religious people need to hear about atheism! I am so tired of all the Atheist bashing that has gone on. I am just hilated that finally Christians will be able to see a well spoken and comprehensive arguement for the all Atheists out there!
  16. Hristun Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 03:51:08 I need to buy his books.
  17. Michella Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 04:14:07 The OT was an unfulfilled covenant, I think the distinction I made was made in light of what Jesus said. Jesus fulfilled the law set forth by God in the old covenant, the Jews were simply left with the old covenant in wait for a messiah to fulfill the incomplete old covenant. I am by no means a biblical expert, but that interpretation of how those laws relate to us now has made the most sense to me in light of scripture. Paul and Jesus also use the word law to refer only to the ten commandments.
  18. Len Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 04:37:06 Well there is a distinction off the top of my head in the OT, and that's when according to Judeo-Christian tradition and scripture, God himself gave Moses the ten commandments, everything else he simply told Moses to write down. This does stress that the "law" is indeed above the rest. Also in the prophets are prophecies about the Jewish messiah. Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, and the distinction I made between certain laws are made in light of the new covenant set forth by Jesus.
  19. Dericka Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 05:00:05 Vanmeter. Sure laws you mentioned are ´categorized´ in such way, but can you find such a distinction from old testament anywhere ? Its classic claim this "moral laws still apply" but old testament does not really make such a distinction between those laws.
  20. NAIARA Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 05:23:04 True. No one who is truly rational believes that the absence of religion will eliminate intolerance - no more than making the sale of firearms would eliminate murder. But what it may do is help take away the ability to invoke mass attrcocities on the basis of dogma, and make us realize again that we are all human.
  21. SOBK Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 05:46:03 ""Moral truth" does not contradict reality - like honour and beauty, it is an abstraction invented by humanity" Fair enough, but I am not one to look around at everything and attribute it to blind chance. I do not believe the universe is irrational, I do not believe that logic, good and evil are simply imagined. Now that you have told me your personal opinion of morality, why does your opinion hold any true validity over the sadistic murderer? or the psychopath? They have their own way...
  22. Aldrick Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 06:09:02 The ten commandments apply fully, including the Sabbath. The day has only moved to Sunday, often called the Lord's day. Do you think people like the puritans would have any problem following the entire Old Testament? They already had the death penalty for sodomy, blasphemy and adultery. They didn't follow those laws because they had excellent theologians and exegetes who clearly knew what Christianity is and what it isn't, and how the law relates to us now.
  23. Alliss Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 06:32:01 Why should people care about one another? They are just matter that is conscious of itself. Your view of what Christianity is and the difference between the old covenant and new really shows your understanding of the Judeo-Christian religion is terribly lacking. The laws located in the Pentateuch are categorized as moral, civil and priestly. Moral laws stay forever, even after the end of the world. The other two do not apply to anyone because we are not Hebrews who lived before Christ.
  24. Verel Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 06:55:00 It depends, some athiests are passionate about living things continuing to exist, and humans continuing to be conceived and delivered, if you take that into consideration then you would see that athiests can be opposed to homosexual filth just as any religious person.
  25. Winchell Says:
    January 14th, 2009 at 07:17:59 HITLER had so much potential, Yet So little results! HE could have fixed the faggot problem! ATHEISM is the leprosy of the mind! atheists are so fucking disgusting,atheists should suicide! HOPE your in heaven HITLER, that will be JUSTICE!

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