Sam Harris.org Reader Forum

Humor exposes the illogical aspects of religion

2013-05-01T03:44:28+00:00

Here is a funny comedy video/song about parents explaining religion to their daughter. Hopefully it brightens your day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40uyvImgsQ0

John H. Conway

2012-11-20T20:04:09+00:00

I am neither a mathematician nor philosopher but I am interested in the ideas about “determinism” & “free will.”
I was surprised to discover John H. Conway’s “Free Will Lectures” on YouTube because it seems to me that religions rely on “free will” as an explanation for existence and for human behavior but that “determinism” - based on science - creates fundamental problems for this conception. However, Conway supports “free will” based on his mathematical observations. Are his conclusions truly based on science?
What are the opinions of others on his presentation in these six lectures?
http://youtu.be/Dkg3NWpoEt4

Book suggestions

2012-08-13T16:40:31+00:00

Hi!
I’m going to make an effort to become more learned, which is why I’m looking for popular scientific books on the topics of:

Game theory (ideally with an evolutionary perspective and with the Prisoner’s dilemma featured).
Moral philosophy (I’ve read Practical Ethics by Singer, going to get Rethinking Life and Death… I would like some sort of introduction to philosophy as a whole, but I guess it’s to broad to shrink into a book).
How cognition/consciousness works (like How The Minds Works by Pinker - has that one grown old with grace?).
The science and history (and perhaps philosophy) of depression.
Introduction to politics (as objective as possible and with data to back up claims, not just arguments).
A good big bang book (tried a Stephen Hawking one which worked for the first chapters but then got to fuzzy for me).

I would prefer if the books had a distinguished author with credentials (ergo: no journalists), but it’s not a must.

There’s probably a thread like this somewhere but I didn’t find it. Everyone can use this thread for their own book requests as far as I’m concerned…

Cheers!

Sam Harris - Death and the Present Moment

2012-06-04T02:30:22+00:00

I really enjoyed this talk Sam gave at the 2012 Global Atheist Convention in Australia. If you haven’t seen it here’s the link:

http://youtu.be/ITTxTCz4Ums

Discuss!

Sam Harris vs. Rick Warren debate?

2012-05-29T23:07:48+00:00

I’m not able to find video of this debate anywhere. I heard this one is a really good watch. Does anyone know where I could find this video?

Sam’s book on Rational Religion?

2012-02-11T06:00:12+00:00

In the ABC News Nightline report it was mentioned that Sam was working on a new book that would be about “Rational Religion”. Does anyone know the status of that book? It appears that Free Will with be Sam’s next book. Has the other book been dropped, or is Free Will going to cover this concept of a reason based religion?

Bill Hicks

2011-09-25T03:41:51+00:00

I wasn’t sure if you all were aware of a comedian who passed away back in ‘94 named Bill Hicks. Bill grew up in the South, as did I, and he was doing this material back in the 80’s/early 90’s when it was considered hugely inappropriate. (It still is, but you get my point). I was telling a friend how no one I know ever knows who he was when I mention his name, but he’s widely considered among the best who’s ever lived. Here’s a clip from a show he did in London in ‘92:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCCJlkGVBw0&feature=bf_prev&list=PL49A5A840A8B6B566&lf=results_video#t=08m28s

Admittedly, I started the clip at a section I thought would be appropriate on the forum. It’s towards the end of the clip I’m posting, so let it roll into the next clip, as he continues his rant on the subject. As many people who liked him have thought over the years, I wonder what his material would have been like had he lived to see everything that’s happened since ‘94. Carlin was around, sure, but I enjoyed Bill’s approach a bit better. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and I’m sorry to all of you for whom Bill is old news.

Anyone seen the Curiosity show with Steven Hawking?

2011-08-08T20:37:48+00:00

I wanted to see if anyone saw the TV show Curiosity? I would like to have other thoughts on it . In it Steven Hawking lays out his theory for that suggests there is no need for a god. I thought it was a good attempt to disprove god but honestly I was left with more questions than answers.
A lot of his theory depends on antimatter. And states that the big bang was when antimatter was translated into matter (please correct me if I have misunderstood anything) and that this was when the universe and time itself came to be. But this leaves so many questions; is this transfer possible and does this mean that antimatter has an eternal existence? We no something can’t be created from nothing. So something has had to always been there. Is that the case with this antimatter? And how does this theory fit in with the multiverse theory?
I found him a little arrogant at the end suggesting that he answered the ultimate question and that that was the end of it. But in my mind even though the theory of antimatter has been around for a while we have just in the past year or so found evidence of it. There is a lot that we don’t know about it. There is a lot that we don’t know about our universe and I think it is a little premature to close the book. And also another thing I have learned through my many math classes there is a lot that we can do mathematically on paper that is technically impossible physically.
What are your thoughts?

Bill Maher Nails it Again

2011-07-29T02:15:32+00:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQn3vBSxdZE

Has anyone not seen this yet?

2011-05-15T22:39:49+00:00

This a little under 2 years old, but I think it’s a real gem.

Sell the Vatican - Feed the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bObItmxAGc