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Topic ClosedAny else listen to Sam Harris' Waking Up podcasts?

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Logan View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Any else listen to Sam Harris' Waking Up podcasts?
    Posted: July 21 2017 at 16:29
I'm just wondering if anyone else here listens to the Sam Harris' Waking Up podcast?

https://www.samharris.org/podcast/full_archive


Whatever one think of Sam Harris, and thinks of his political and religious views, he has discussions with many very interesting and intelligent guests on a diverse range of subjects.


Edited by Logan - July 21 2017 at 16:42
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condor View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 12 2017 at 18:14
Thanks for the suggestion
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 14 2017 at 13:00
Thanks for responding, Condor.

His podcasts have been useful to me, especially since I've been trying to get the old noodle to work better after damaging it a while back (mostly my memory was affected -- I used to have a very good memory-- and I still get headaches). I tend to agree with Harris and his guests views, and share similar interests, so it's going to be entertaining to me than most.

I had thought there might be some people here who do listen to his podcasts because I did a topic over a year ago on Hitchens and Dawkins and Sam Harris, as well as Lawrence Krauss, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Danniel Dennet and others were mentioned in it. It was at that point that I decided to explore those people more (well, I already loved Tyson for Cosmos). I have since seen Krauss live and, for Vancouverites, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and Matt Dillahunty will be having an event in November. I planned to buy tickets but I know no one that would be interested and going to these kinds of things alone is kind of sad (probably sold out by now).

Anyway, I did another topic on Sam Harris before, and I probably shouldn't have done this one. http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=109468

I can't recommend any particular podcast to you as I don't know your interests well-enough, but my favourite was Abusing Delores with Paul Bloom where he discusses the case for rational compassion instead of empathy.

I also enjoyed his latest a great deal. I listen to the through his site, but they are also available on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNLOJ-3rL60

I'm a bit nervous about even mentioning Harris name here as I fear that I may get labeled an Islamophobe (someone with an irrational fear and hatred of Islam) -- I do have a fear of religion -- as he has been very critical of religion generally, but particularly of Islam in recent years. I got interested in these people after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, but I enjoy Harris' discussion more not on the subject of Islam or religion, generally, these days.



Edited by Logan - August 14 2017 at 13:02
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 04:58
Originally posted by Logan Logan wrote:

I'm a bit nervous about even mentioning Harris name here as I fear that I may get labeled an Islamophobe (someone with an irrational fear and hatred of Islam) -- I do have a fear of religion -- as he has been very critical of religion generally, but particularly of Islam in recent years. I got interested in these people after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, but I enjoy Harris' discussion more not on the subject of Islam or religion, generally, these days.

The left's mindblowing level of apologism for Islam is what started pushing me to the right. I can only listen to atheists and feminists making excuses for the most radically patriarchal religion for so long.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 08:38
Its the regressive left, as some call it (a term made popular by Maajid Nawaz). I don't put myself on the left or right as I'm rather culturally conservative in some ways, and socialist leaning in others. I'm too complex and nuanced in my views to want to place myself somewhere on the political spectrum, but my interests and values generally make me left-aligned even though i disagree with much of the left on various issues. People are complex, and so is the world. Some people take too simplistic a stance on things that is more emotionally-driven than intellectual. One need emotions to care, but also an intellect to search for truth and seek the best (the greater good).

I'm something of a middle of the road Liberal over-all. I find it all too common on the right to buy into climate change denial and be too free market capitalism for my tastes. I'd rather take things on an issue-by-issue basis, but my opinions are informed by my values. I'm very interested in politics, but have no party affiliation (other than I have done some work for the Green Party as the environmental issues is one of the most pressing concern of the days. Also nuclear proliferation). Terrorism is, of course, also of great concern, as is war generally. I hope one day that humans will learn to co-exist peacefully, become more rational, less selfish, and develop greater compassion (for each other, for animals...) But I wonder if we'll survive for long.

I was called an Islamophobe at PA by someone [edit: nope, seems I was not], which I see as a way to shut down conversation (I dislike such labeling) and I am someone who has taken the time to read the Quran and various Hadith. I think that criticism, or exploration, of all notions is a good thing, and am generally skeptical. Commonly very religious people are very intolerant, yet many non-religious people claim that we should be tolerant of such people. I prefer reason to revelation and the scientific method over faith.

It's rather absurd because a phobia is an irrational fear and hatred of something, and what fears I have I think are pretty rational. If a psychologist/ psychiatrist diagnoses me with that phobia then I might consider treatment (maybe spend a year living somewhere where Shariah is practiced). I have various Muslim friends, but they are not observant except for one of my best friends who recently converted (my other best friend who was born Muslim died not long ago, but he was hyper critical of the Islamist mindset).

Anyway, there are many atheists who are not only critical of religion generally, but have been particularly critical of Islam. I have followed atheists critical of Islam such as Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, Lawrence Krauss, Bill Maher, and one who associates as a Neo-Con, Douglas Murray, Ayaan Hirsi Ali who is an atheist and a feminist who grew up Muslim but turned apostate, and many more.

Sam Harris took quite a bit of flack with Bill Maher when Ben Affleck was the guest.



You might enjoy his talks with Douglas Murray if you don't know these already (I imagine you know him already). Douglas Murray reminds me of Christopher Hitchens, and actually has borrowed from him a little too much at times, methinks.

https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/on-the-maintenance-of-civilization

https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/identity-terror

https://www.samharris.org/podcast/item/is-this-the-end-of-europe

I loved listening to those, but he has great guests on a wide variety of subjects. The other podcast I love is verybadwizards, but that is mostly about philosophy and psychology (philosophy and psychology are two big topics with Sam Harris too).


EDIT: I really am totally off my game these days, I looked back and no one has every so much as attempted here or elsewhere to label me as an Islamophobe. So I apologise for making such a claim and misremembering. If a moderator needs one thing in spades, it's a good memory. Plus good pattern recognition clarity of thought, ability to understand, effective communication skills, ability to see various sides of an issue and understand perspective, and good mediation abilities, and all of those qualities are lacking in me these days. I merely responded to someone who mentioned Islamophobia to someone else, and I voiced why I think it's a poor and misleading term that is often invoked, same as Islamophilia, to shut down conversation by implying bigotry. There is anti-Muslim bigotry, but being critical of a religion (and sects of a religion) should be fair game in a reasonably free country. All ideas should be up for scrutiny and criticism, including people's most sacred cows (ideas that people hold most dear can be the most dangerous as people are more likely to act out on them), In various countries you can't for fear of punishment, and apostasy can be a crime. I've also been critical of Scientology, many Christian groups/ sects, religious cults and lots of groups and ideologies. If I'm going to be an offender, I'd rather be an equal-opportunity offender.

Note, haven't listened in full yet, but Sam Harris did a podcast with someone here recently on terrorism. https://after-on.com/episodes/006

He has also appeared on Joe Rogan's a fair amount, and on VeryBadWizards. He's a very smart person, and I like it particularly when he's discussing any questions of ethics as ethics was a particular interest of mine in school.

Edited by Logan - September 14 2017 at 10:53
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 13 2017 at 10:11
Incidentally, if you're looking for such discussion, the Sam Harris forums is a good place to share your thoughts, be challenged, and challenge others in their thinking. I posted there as Greg M for a while https://www.samharris.org/forum

One can discuss things there in terms that would not be tolerated here, and I like a place where I can be direct while having a wide range of discussion on topics of interest to me. One does need a pretty thick-skin to be active there. methinks. But it also helps to have an open mind (just not so open that your brains fall out). I've become rather bored talking about music, although I still like this site for discovering music, and while there are many very intelligent people here, there isn't as much discussion/ dialectic as I would like on a wide range of, I think important, issues. For me the sweet post is when one finds some synthesis of ideas in discussion even when one came in with near opposing perspectives, but I like friendly conversation, and it's not always as respectful as I feel comfortable with.

Most of the posts here are stand-alone comments and not really intended to have much back-and-forth conversation, or so it seems to me. There one can discuss very controversial things in a very rational, on the whole, manner. It helps to know formal logic but one picks that up more as one goes along. It's the controversial topics that are often the most invigorating to discuss, but I find the level of directness there a little unnerving at times, as it can come across as just plain rude. I think, generally, people actually put more thought into what they write there than here (like me in this post, I just keep typing without thinking things through first).

Don't take this as me saying that anyone should stop posting here and post there instead, but it can be a neat place to gain new perspective, have some invigorating discussion, and to be challenged by various rational people who deeply care about and are quite well-informed about the issues. It's those grey areas that are often of the most interest to me.

Edited by Logan - September 13 2017 at 10:15
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