Difference between revisions of "Sam Harris"
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What a load of utter codswollop. Sam Harris clearly and openly and unmistakably wrote that it MAY be ethical to kill people for believing dangerous beliefs. Not for doing anything, not for harming anyone, but for simply BELIEVING CERTAIN BELIEFS. His repeated "clarifications" and obfuscations don't change that established fact and he has never recanted his statement. Nor, I note, has he ever come right out and declared specifically WHAT beliefs are so dangerous that it is ethical to kill people for nothing more than holding them.<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/10/sam-harris-is-still-genocidal-maniac.html Sam Harris: genocidal maniac or suicidal logician?] by [[Vox Day]], October 13, 2014</ref>}} | What a load of utter codswollop. Sam Harris clearly and openly and unmistakably wrote that it MAY be ethical to kill people for believing dangerous beliefs. Not for doing anything, not for harming anyone, but for simply BELIEVING CERTAIN BELIEFS. His repeated "clarifications" and obfuscations don't change that established fact and he has never recanted his statement. Nor, I note, has he ever come right out and declared specifically WHAT beliefs are so dangerous that it is ethical to kill people for nothing more than holding them.<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2014/10/sam-harris-is-still-genocidal-maniac.html Sam Harris: genocidal maniac or suicidal logician?] by [[Vox Day]], October 13, 2014</ref>}} | ||
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+ | == Social science research on Sam Harris and his fellow new atheists == | ||
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+ | Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> Of the 75,000 words in Sam Harris's ''The End of Faith'', 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.<ref>[http://www.thisviewoflife.com/index.php/magazine/articles/why-sam-harris-is-unlikely-to-change-his-mind10 Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind] by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm</ref> | ||
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+ | Despite the frequent expressions of certainty by new atheists. New Atheism has a reputation for shallow arguments. A frequent occurrence is that the works of new atheists often betray an amateurish knowledge of philosophy/religion.<ref>''The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion'' edited by Graham Oppy, Chapter 4, ''New Atheist Approaches to Religion'' by Trent Dougherty and Logan Paul Cage, page 52, see: [https://books.google.com/books?id=XXdKCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA52&lpg=PA52&dq=new+atheism+amateur+philosophy+religion&source=bl&ots=1aheNZ4o2E&sig=ncZcNcpoGnUgWYmW3wEUXCp08MQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CDgQ6AEwBGoVChMI2d39yrDkyAIVhDI-Ch35fAdR#v=onepage&q=new%20atheism%20amateur%20philosophy%20religion&f=false Google books excerpt]</ref><ref>http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire</ref> For example, atheist philosopher Dr. [[Michael Ruse]] declared concerning new atheist [[Richard Dawkins]]' book ''The God Delusion'': "''The God Delusion'' makes me embarrassed to be an atheist."<ref>http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire</ref> [[Vox Day]]'s book ''[http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf The Irrational atheist]'' found multiple errors in reasoning and factual errors when it came to the works of new atheist authors.<ref>[http://creation.com/review-irrational-atheist-by-vox-day Excellent refutation of ‘new atheists’ flawed by heterodox open theism], A review of The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens by Vox Day, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX, 2008, reviewed by Lita Cosner</ref> See also: [[Atheism and irrationality]] | ||
== Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate == | == Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate == | ||
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Dr. Sam Harris is a founder of the [[New Atheism]] movement. He is quite aware of the stigma surrounding atheism and has even advocated that atheists no longer call themselves atheists.<ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"]. News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref> In fact, Dr. Harris has said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation."<ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"]. News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref> | Dr. Sam Harris is a founder of the [[New Atheism]] movement. He is quite aware of the stigma surrounding atheism and has even advocated that atheists no longer call themselves atheists.<ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"]. News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref> In fact, Dr. Harris has said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation."<ref name="Harris">Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). [http://news21.com/story/2007/06/19/interview_with_an_atheist "Interview with an atheist"]. News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.</ref> | ||
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== Project Reason == | == Project Reason == | ||
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== See also == | == See also == | ||
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*[[Richard Dawkins and women]] | *[[Richard Dawkins and women]] | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
− | {{reflist| | + | {{reflist|2}} |
==External Links== | ==External Links== |
Revision as of 03:39, May 22, 2016
Sam Harris is an American author and atheist. Harris is one of the founders of the New Atheism movement. Dr. Harris received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and is also a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University. He wrote two controversial, but New York Times best seller books, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. He has written essays such as "Science must destroy religion"[1].
Contents
- 1 Sam Harris and charges of misogny
- 2 Charges of Islamophobia
- 3 Killing people for thought crimes and Harris' book The End of Faith
- 4 Social science research on Sam Harris and his fellow new atheists
- 5 Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
- 6 Harris claims the label atheist is right next to child molester as a designation
- 7 Project Reason
- 8 See also
- 9 References
- 10 External Links
Sam Harris and charges of misogny
See also: Atheism and women and Atheism and sexism
Like his fellow new atheist Richard Dawkins, Harris has raised the ire of feminists.[2][3][4] See also: Elevatorgate
In 2014, Harris said that atheist activism lacks an “estrogen vibe” and was “to some degree intrinsically male”.[5]
On October 3, 2014, Salon magazine published an online article titled, Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris?[6] On September 20 2014, the feminist blogger Libby Anne wrote an article entitled Is Sam Harris Sexist?[7] Atheist Sam Fincke wrote a piece entitled On Sam Harris’s Reply to Feminist Critics.[8]
In his defense, Harris published an article on his website titled, “I’m Not the Sexist Pig You’re Looking For”[9]
Charges of Islamophobia
See also: Atheism vs. Islam
The new atheists Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins and the late Christopher Hitchens have received multiple accusations of engaging in Islamophobic behavior.[10] On the other hand, defenders of atheist criticisms of Islam/Muslims indicated that New Atheists should be able to criticize Islam without being accused of Islamophobia.[11]
On June 21, 2014 Harris published an article on his website entitled Response to Critics which was a response to his critics who accuse him of Islamophobia.[12]
Killing people for thought crimes and Harris' book The End of Faith
In his book The End of Faith, Harris wrote: “Some beliefs are so dangerous that it may be ethical to kill people for believing them”.[13] Harris was criticized by Christian apologist Victor Reppert and others for his promotion of the idea that killing people for thought crimes is morally acceptable.[14][15][16]
Theodore Beale wrote in response to Harris defending his statement:
“ | whining about the fact that people are still actively holding him accountable for the clear and obvious meaning of his written words, and he is still attempting to shade the truth while doing so.
What a load of utter codswollop. Sam Harris clearly and openly and unmistakably wrote that it MAY be ethical to kill people for believing dangerous beliefs. Not for doing anything, not for harming anyone, but for simply BELIEVING CERTAIN BELIEFS. His repeated "clarifications" and obfuscations don't change that established fact and he has never recanted his statement. Nor, I note, has he ever come right out and declared specifically WHAT beliefs are so dangerous that it is ethical to kill people for nothing more than holding them.[17] |
” |
Social science research on Sam Harris and his fellow new atheists
Using special text analysis software, the social psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that new atheists very often wrote in dogmatic terms in their major works using words such as “always,” “never,” “certainly,” “every,” and “undeniable.”[18] Of the 75,000 words in Sam Harris's The End of Faith, 2.24% of them connote or are associated with certainty.[19]
Despite the frequent expressions of certainty by new atheists. New Atheism has a reputation for shallow arguments. A frequent occurrence is that the works of new atheists often betray an amateurish knowledge of philosophy/religion.[20][21] For example, atheist philosopher Dr. Michael Ruse declared concerning new atheist Richard Dawkins' book The God Delusion: "The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist."[22] Vox Day's book The Irrational atheist found multiple errors in reasoning and factual errors when it came to the works of new atheist authors.[23] See also: Atheism and irrationality
Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
See also: Atheism debates and Atheism and morality and Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
In 2011, Sam Harris debated the Christian apologist and philosopher William Lane Craig at the University of Notre Dame on the topic of morality and the debate was the proposition "Is Good From God?".[24][25]
Reviews of the debate
Review by the New Zealand Christian apologetics ministry Thinking Matters
The New Zealand Christian apologetics ministry Thinking Matters said of the Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate:
“ | Craig brought a great many cogent objections to bear against Harris’s view...
Craig started by drawing the audience’s attention to how Harris was confusing moral ontology with moral semantics: confusing the basis or the foundation for moral values with the meaning of moral terms. ...Craig brought down the hammer and completely crushed Harris for the rest of the debate, by not only showing that Harris wasn’t engaging with the topic (he was equivocating between moral epistemology and ontology) but that his entire ethical system was necessarily false, by his own admission... “A less moral framework is atheism,” started Craig with an exasperated laugh, and then went on to point out that Harris had said nothing to defend an atheistic foundation for morality, nor to refute Craig’s own arguments. To demonstrate how poorly Harris understood Christianity, and how irrelevant his “arguments” were, Craig quipped, in regards to Harris’s claim that the goal on theism is to avoid hell, “Belief in God isn’t some kind of fire insurance.” He then went on to list a number of other ways in which the red herrings that Harris had laid across the path were irrelevant—which was fair enough since there wasn’t much else to say.[26] |
” |
To see the full review of the debate by the Christian ministry Thinking Matters, please see: Review of Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate
Other reviews by Christians:
- Review of Craig vs. Harris Debate by Randy Ecerest
- Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig: Thoughts and Links by J.W. Wartick
Review of the debate by the atheist Luke Muehlhauser at Common Sense Atheism
The atheist Luke Muehlhauser reviewed the debate at the atheist blog Common Sense Atheism. Muehlhauser said of the debate, "As usual, Craig’s superior framing, scholarship and debate skills ‘won’ the debate for him."[27]
Harris claims the label atheist is right next to child molester as a designation
see also: Atheism, pederasty and NAMBLA and Views on Atheists
Dr. Sam Harris is a founder of the New Atheism movement. He is quite aware of the stigma surrounding atheism and has even advocated that atheists no longer call themselves atheists.[28] In fact, Dr. Harris has said concerning the label of atheist, "It's right next to child molester as a designation."[28]
Project Reason
See also: Project Reason
An article published by an advocate of the Question evolution! campaign entitled Sam Harris, Project Reason failed quotes Sam Harris's Project Reason website thusly in terms of a description and aims of the project:
“ | Project Reason is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. The foundation draws on the talents of prominent and creative thinkers in a wide range of disciplines to encourage critical thinking and erode the influence of dogmatism, superstition, and bigotry in our world.
One immediate need is to build an archive of the best secular resources on the Internet. Registered users can submit their favorite articles, videos, interviews, etc."[29] |
” |
In addition, the article Sam Harris, Project Reason failed offers this web traffic graph from the web traffic tracking company Alexa:
An updated Alexa web traffic tracking graph on January 31, 2014:
Also, the article Sam Harris, Project Reason failed adds:
“ | ...it is extremely hard to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. No doubt the "best" secular material on the internet is extremely poor in quality. In addition, material which promotes atheism is very much like evolutionary pseudoscience material in that it is extremely dull, stale and boring. To the best of my knowledge, there has never been an atheism revival!
Questions for Sam Harris and his anemic fan base Sam, what happened? By the way, what are your thoughts about global atheism shrinking? I do hope you know that this is expected to affect Western World atheism. The Birbeck, University of London professor Eric Kaufmann declared to a secular audience in a lecture titled Shall the religious inherit the earth: "The trends that are happening worldwide inevitably in an age of globalization are going to affect us."[31] |
” |
According to website traffic tracking company Alexa, as of July 3, 2015, Project Reason is the 774,804 most popular website on the internet and it recently dropped 48,642 places in terms of its ranking.[32]
See also
References
- ↑ Huffington Post article
- ↑ Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? by Amanda Marcotte, Salon magazine, October 3, 2014
- ↑ Is Sam Harris Sexist? by Libby Anne at the blog Love, Joy, Feminism, September 20, 2014
- ↑ Atheist writer Sam Harris faces backlash over 'estrogen vibe' comments by Heather Tomlinson, Christianity Today, September 17, 2014
- ↑ Atheist writer Sam Harris faces backlash over 'estrogen vibe' comments by Heather Tomlinson, Christianity Today, September 17, 2014
- ↑ Atheism’s shocking woman problem: What’s behind the misogyny of Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris? by Amanda Marcotte, Salon magazine, October 3, 2014
- ↑ Is Sam Harris Sexist? by Libby Anne at the blog Love, Joy, Feminism, September 20, 2014
- ↑ On Sam Harris’s Reply to Feminist Critics by Daniel Fincke, September 16, 2014
- ↑ “I’m Not the Sexist Pig You’re Looking For” by Sam Harris, September 15, 2014
- ↑
- Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens: New Atheists flirt with Islamophobia by Nathan Lean, Salon, March 30, 2013
- Sam Harris, the New Atheists, and anti-Muslim animus by Glenn Greenwald, The Guardian, April 3, 2013
- ↑ New Atheism should be able to criticise Islam without being accused of Islamophobia by Andrew Zak Williams, New Statesman, Published 19 April, 2013
- ↑ Response to Critics by Sam Harris, June 21, 2014
- ↑ Sam Harris on Killing People for What they Believe by Victor Reppert
- ↑ Sam Harris: genocidal maniac or suicidal logician? by Vox Day, October 13, 2014
- ↑ Sam Harris on Killing People for What they Believe by Victor Reppert
- ↑ Madeleine Bunting, "The New Atheists loathe religion far too much to plausibly challenge it," The Guardian, May 7, 2007
- ↑ Sam Harris: genocidal maniac or suicidal logician? by Vox Day, October 13, 2014
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ Why Sam Harris is Unlikely to Change his Mind by JONATHAN HAIDT, February 3, 2014 8:36 pm
- ↑ The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Philosophy of Religion edited by Graham Oppy, Chapter 4, New Atheist Approaches to Religion by Trent Dougherty and Logan Paul Cage, page 52, see: Google books excerpt
- ↑ http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire
- ↑ http://www.alternet.org/media/47052?page=entire
- ↑ Excellent refutation of ‘new atheists’ flawed by heterodox open theism, A review of The Irrational Atheist: Dissecting the Unholy Trinity of Dawkins, Harris, and Hitchens by Vox Day, Benbella Books, Dallas, TX, 2008, reviewed by Lita Cosner
- ↑ The God Debate II: Harris vs. Craig, Notre Dame University YouTube channel, Uploaded on Apr 12, 2011
- ↑ How William Lane Craig thrashed Sam Harris like a naughty puppy, Thinking Matters (New Zealand Christian Apologetics Ministry), April 9, 2011
- ↑ How William Lane Craig thrashed Sam Harris like a naughty puppy, Thinking Matters (New Zealand Christian Apologetics Ministry), April 9, 2011
- ↑ Sam Harris vs. William Lane Craig debate review (part 3) by Luke Muehlhauser, Common Sense Atheism, oApril 17, 2011
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Roberts, Jessica, et al. (June 19, 2007). "Interview with an atheist". News21. Retrieved on July 30, 2014.
- ↑ Sam Harris, Project Reason failed!
- ↑ Sam Harris, Project Reason failed!
- ↑ Sam Harris, Project Reason failed!
- ↑ Project Reason - Alexa ranking