Sam Harris

Sam Harris is one of the 21st Century's most influential authors, scientists, and public intellectuals. A philosopher turned neuroscientist, his work on the intersection of science, spirituality, and free will has earned him multiple awards and accolades. Harris is a co-founder of Project Reason and the author of several bestselling books, including The End of Faith, The Moral Landscape, and Waking Up.

Throughout his career, Harris has been an advocate for science, reason, and humanist values. Born in Los Angeles in 1967, Harris was raised in a strictly religious environment and attended Stanford University, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy in 1989 and 1992, respectively. Suffering from a deep-seated spiritual crisis in college, he began his journey toward atheism. Fascinated by neuroscience and its implications for understanding the mind, Harris subsequently earned a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA in 2009.

The End of Faith, his debut book, marks the beginning of Harris's public career and has become a classic of skeptical literature. Published in 2004, it is an impassioned critique of religion. The book encourages readers to reform their religious beliefs based upon rational evidence and logic and offers support to atheists. Harris argues that religious beliefs are incompatible with modernity, that they cause unnecessary suffering, and that they lack convincing evidence. The book was awarded the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award and the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction.

In 2009, Harris published his second book, The Moral Landscape. Through the lens of cognitive and evolutionary psychology, Harris explores the notion of morality and its impact on society and religion. He posits that science can answer moral questions, and that a society’s progress depends on its ability to scientifically define moral behavior. This book won a 2011 Nautilus Award.

Waking Up, Harris’s third book published in 2014, emphasizes the use of mindfulness meditation to achieve a calmer inner life. The book is both pragmatic and spiritual, utilizing the insight of non-Buddhist traditions. Through personal anecdotes and scientific research, Harris argues that meditation represents the most fundamental path to unlocking the secrets of conscious awareness. Waking Up was adapted into an Audible Originals series in 2018, narrated by Harris himself.

In addition to his books, Harris is a popular podcast host and has given lectures at numerous universities and appearances on several TV networks, including CNN, ABC News, and Fox News, where he is a regular guest commentator. He is a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Project Reason and serves on the advisory board for the James Randi Educational Foundation. In 2019, he launched the Waking Up with Sam Harris app, designed to help people foster a daily meditation practice.

In a career spanning over two decades, Sam Harris continues to challenge orthodox beliefs and explore the intersection between science and spirituality. His groundbreaking books have earned him much praise and have become noteworthy additions to the modern canon of philosophical and scientific material. His impact on contemporary thought and culture is immeasurable, and his body of work continues to inspire readers and thinkers around the world.