Great article! Such interesting concepts and lots to think about. I was devastated by our covid response but hadn’t had the clarity of mind to think about it as a moral failure . I kept hoping evidence and facts would get leaders and others to calm down and come back to reality . But this has given me a different way to look at our tragic response. Thank you for taking the time to put together such an enlightening piece!
He will eventually get a spotlight prime time on CNN. This man has lost all incredibility and hopefully his followers are going to become aware of his own lack of morality.
Very interesting read, I shall now need to do more research about Harris, I have become a fan of Dr Peterson, I myself was saddened by how “my own faith” was called in to question because I chose not to go along with the Vax protocol-thank you for an interesting article
In my humble opinion, this is a really important and relevant essay in these severely distorted times. The mindset that Harris and others like him (Dawkins come to mind) embody goes to the root of the heartless and willful blindness we have seen on display from supposedly 'rational' people during these last three years. This kind of mindset, so much in fashion these days, labours under the assumption, it seems, that the purpose of debate and dialogue is Victory, when in fact it ought to be clarity.
There is an essay I remember reading years ago, which deeply affected me, by the writer Wendell Berry. It dealt with this mental schism in much of modern, rational and reductionist thinking. The title is simply 'Two Minds'. Here is an excerpt which gets to the heart of the issue:
"Obviously we need to use our intelligence. But how much intelligence have we got? And what sort of intelligence is it that we have? And how, at its best, does human intelligence work?
In order to try to answer these questions I am going to suppose for a while that there are two different kinds of human mind: the Rational Mind and another which, for want of a better term, I will call the Sympathetic Mind. I will say now, and try to keep myself reminded, that these terms are going to appear to be allegorical, too neat and too separate – though I need to say also that their separation was not invented by me.
The Rational Mind, without being anywhere perfectly embodied, is the mind we all are supposed to be trying to have. It is the mind that the most powerful and influential people think they have. Our schools exist mainly to educate and propagate and authorize the Rational Mind. The Rational Mind is objective, analytical, and empirical; it makes itself up only by considering facts; it pursues truth by experimentation; it is uncorrupted by preconception, received authority, religious belief, or feeling. Its ideal products are the proven fact, the accurate prediction, and the “informed decision.” It is, you might say, the official mind of science, industry, and government.
The Sympathetic Mind differs from the Rational Mind, not by being unreasonable, but by refusing to limit knowledge or reality to the scope of reason or factuality or experimentation, and by making reason the servant of things it considers precedent and higher.
The Rational Mind is motivated by the fear of being misled, of being wrong. Its purpose is to exclude everything that cannot empirically or experimentally be proven to be a fact.
The Sympathetic Mind is motivated by fear of error of a very different kind: the error of carelessness, of being unloving. Its purpose is to be considerate of whatever is present, to leave nothing out."
I highly recommend the essay, which fleshes out more fully and contextually the brief excerpt I've included here.
Harris is correct to critique the authoritarian nature of much religion, but he fails to see that his "New Atheism" is itself largely just another authoritarian ideology; ironically, it shares many of the features of religion and the Woke religion that he has also critiqued.
On just about every comments section of videos related to Harris we have the same take: "I was always a fan of Harris and I've read all his books and watched all his stuff, but what just happened?" I was going to write an article in response, but you have done it so well there is now little point. As always, thanks for all the time and energy spent addressing some important issues and moments in our development as a species.
If you haven't already, watch JBP's latest conversation on the Joe Rogan Experience (Spotify). In that 3 hours we have about 2 hours of the best stuff JBP has ever put out. However, like Bret, he is still holding out hope that Harris will see reason. Not a chance. As you say, he "revved his IQ, gunned the engine, and drove his car off an intellectual cliff".
Great read, thank you. After all I think you were very... kind to Sam Harris. :) As Patricia Sutherland noted CNN, and I think other dark forces will provide him with spotlight soon. I haven't been really fun of him and you clearly re-enforced that.
There are deep and very powerful truths, beyond all understanding, that cannot be captured in words. Real understanding, understanding that resonates in our core, is irrational. Words actually make it so much more difficult to know. Krishnamurti captured this when he pointed out the impossibility of looking at something––a tree for example––without first going through the word "tree" which then completely distorts that thing seen.
Thank you for such a measured and calm deconstruction of what passes for "rationalism" in our ever more fractured society. You demonstrate how any dogma can take on the feeling and fervor of any maligned religion when put forth as The Truth and The Answer. Spirit and faith can coexist with any religion, but not when its truest believers fall prey to their own hubris.
The communist/fascist regimes you mentioned were indeed religious make no mistake as they operated under the banner of the STATE! Sam is a religious adherent of the state & the scientific establishment otherwise known as SCIENTISM!
Great summary of Sam's meltdown. Chalk up another former hero--a supposed champion of reason--who, blinded by ideology or fear, lost their grip on truth. I don't agree 100% with Bret Weinstein either, but at least the man is willing to consider and admit the places he went wrong, which I consider a virtue: https://thefreethinker.substack.com/p/be-strong-be-wrong
Sam, on the other hand, uses his considerable intellect to rationalize. It is painful to watch.
If there's one thing that should be obvious to us all by now, intellect is no guarantee of truth. If you have the wrong premises, your intellect just gets you to the wrong conclusions FASTER.
perhaps it could more accurately be called, "the UNVEILING OF SAM HARRIS". Like so many leftists I know, their reaction goes w the territory of a narcissistic, mentally unstable, mind.
Great article! Such interesting concepts and lots to think about. I was devastated by our covid response but hadn’t had the clarity of mind to think about it as a moral failure . I kept hoping evidence and facts would get leaders and others to calm down and come back to reality . But this has given me a different way to look at our tragic response. Thank you for taking the time to put together such an enlightening piece!
He will eventually get a spotlight prime time on CNN. This man has lost all incredibility and hopefully his followers are going to become aware of his own lack of morality.
Jesus can't come back soon enough for me.
Very interesting read, I shall now need to do more research about Harris, I have become a fan of Dr Peterson, I myself was saddened by how “my own faith” was called in to question because I chose not to go along with the Vax protocol-thank you for an interesting article
In my humble opinion, this is a really important and relevant essay in these severely distorted times. The mindset that Harris and others like him (Dawkins come to mind) embody goes to the root of the heartless and willful blindness we have seen on display from supposedly 'rational' people during these last three years. This kind of mindset, so much in fashion these days, labours under the assumption, it seems, that the purpose of debate and dialogue is Victory, when in fact it ought to be clarity.
There is an essay I remember reading years ago, which deeply affected me, by the writer Wendell Berry. It dealt with this mental schism in much of modern, rational and reductionist thinking. The title is simply 'Two Minds'. Here is an excerpt which gets to the heart of the issue:
"Obviously we need to use our intelligence. But how much intelligence have we got? And what sort of intelligence is it that we have? And how, at its best, does human intelligence work?
In order to try to answer these questions I am going to suppose for a while that there are two different kinds of human mind: the Rational Mind and another which, for want of a better term, I will call the Sympathetic Mind. I will say now, and try to keep myself reminded, that these terms are going to appear to be allegorical, too neat and too separate – though I need to say also that their separation was not invented by me.
The Rational Mind, without being anywhere perfectly embodied, is the mind we all are supposed to be trying to have. It is the mind that the most powerful and influential people think they have. Our schools exist mainly to educate and propagate and authorize the Rational Mind. The Rational Mind is objective, analytical, and empirical; it makes itself up only by considering facts; it pursues truth by experimentation; it is uncorrupted by preconception, received authority, religious belief, or feeling. Its ideal products are the proven fact, the accurate prediction, and the “informed decision.” It is, you might say, the official mind of science, industry, and government.
The Sympathetic Mind differs from the Rational Mind, not by being unreasonable, but by refusing to limit knowledge or reality to the scope of reason or factuality or experimentation, and by making reason the servant of things it considers precedent and higher.
The Rational Mind is motivated by the fear of being misled, of being wrong. Its purpose is to exclude everything that cannot empirically or experimentally be proven to be a fact.
The Sympathetic Mind is motivated by fear of error of a very different kind: the error of carelessness, of being unloving. Its purpose is to be considerate of whatever is present, to leave nothing out."
I highly recommend the essay, which fleshes out more fully and contextually the brief excerpt I've included here.
https://www.clarionreview.org/2015/02/two-minds/
Harris is correct to critique the authoritarian nature of much religion, but he fails to see that his "New Atheism" is itself largely just another authoritarian ideology; ironically, it shares many of the features of religion and the Woke religion that he has also critiqued.
On just about every comments section of videos related to Harris we have the same take: "I was always a fan of Harris and I've read all his books and watched all his stuff, but what just happened?" I was going to write an article in response, but you have done it so well there is now little point. As always, thanks for all the time and energy spent addressing some important issues and moments in our development as a species.
If you haven't already, watch JBP's latest conversation on the Joe Rogan Experience (Spotify). In that 3 hours we have about 2 hours of the best stuff JBP has ever put out. However, like Bret, he is still holding out hope that Harris will see reason. Not a chance. As you say, he "revved his IQ, gunned the engine, and drove his car off an intellectual cliff".
Great read, thank you. After all I think you were very... kind to Sam Harris. :) As Patricia Sutherland noted CNN, and I think other dark forces will provide him with spotlight soon. I haven't been really fun of him and you clearly re-enforced that.
Thank you for sharing, and for putting your very important energy out there. Your voices are needed now, more than ever. #WithMuchGratitude
One of the best pieces I've read in ages. Bravo.
There are deep and very powerful truths, beyond all understanding, that cannot be captured in words. Real understanding, understanding that resonates in our core, is irrational. Words actually make it so much more difficult to know. Krishnamurti captured this when he pointed out the impossibility of looking at something––a tree for example––without first going through the word "tree" which then completely distorts that thing seen.
Thank you for such a measured and calm deconstruction of what passes for "rationalism" in our ever more fractured society. You demonstrate how any dogma can take on the feeling and fervor of any maligned religion when put forth as The Truth and The Answer. Spirit and faith can coexist with any religion, but not when its truest believers fall prey to their own hubris.
The communist/fascist regimes you mentioned were indeed religious make no mistake as they operated under the banner of the STATE! Sam is a religious adherent of the state & the scientific establishment otherwise known as SCIENTISM!
Great summary of Sam's meltdown. Chalk up another former hero--a supposed champion of reason--who, blinded by ideology or fear, lost their grip on truth. I don't agree 100% with Bret Weinstein either, but at least the man is willing to consider and admit the places he went wrong, which I consider a virtue: https://thefreethinker.substack.com/p/be-strong-be-wrong
Sam, on the other hand, uses his considerable intellect to rationalize. It is painful to watch.
If there's one thing that should be obvious to us all by now, intellect is no guarantee of truth. If you have the wrong premises, your intellect just gets you to the wrong conclusions FASTER.
Harris is naive in his failure to understand that humans are, by nature, 'predictably irrational'.
Harris believes in his own religion. In my dictionary, it's called 'cultish behaviour'.
perhaps it could more accurately be called, "the UNVEILING OF SAM HARRIS". Like so many leftists I know, their reaction goes w the territory of a narcissistic, mentally unstable, mind.
Bravo. I used to listen to Harris on his podcast, but now see him as a complete charlatan. You lay out the case so well.