Shows
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThinking Fast & Slow - Daniel KahnemanWhy is there more chance we'll believe something if it's in a bold type face? Why are judges more likely to deny parole before lunch? Why do we assume a good-looking person will be more competent?The answer lies in the two ways we make choices: fast, intuitive thinking, and slow, rational thinking. This book reveals how our minds are tripped up by error and prejudice (even when we think we are being logical), and gives you practical techniques for slower, smarter thinking. It will enable to you make better decisions at work, at home, and...
2025-08-2644 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesImpact: How to Measure World ChangeIs Brexit more important than Bitcoin? How do we rank Buddhism vs TikTok?The world changes, technology advances, but what really matters and how much? Sam explains the Innovation Richter Scale, a framework for understanding impact at every level of technology and what it means to society.In Nate Silver's book "On The Edge", he introduces a Technology Richter scale to determine the impact of AI. Sam takes the idea much, much further because it's cool.- - -About Wiser PodNico and Sam set...
2025-08-1231 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThe World Until Yesterday - Jared Diamond - Stone Age Lessons on InnovationHeard enough lame insights about caveman psychology? Jared Diamond goes hard into what life was really like, how we thought and how it compares to today.A masterclass of a book when it comes to truly understanding our history and humanity and packed full of insights.Sam digests the book from a lens of innovation and what the reality of our life meant for taking risks and trying new ideas and making them happen.We cover various tribe studies across the world and the episode is brimming with stories and...
2025-07-1531 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThe Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon - Brad StoneWe share the 10 best mental models about innovation from tech titan Jeff Bezos.This episode covers the story of Amazon and some of the incredible shifts it has created on the planet. From the obvious online shopping wave to things like the e-reading industry and audiobooks, web-servers giving us Uber and Netflix, devices like Alexa. We also learn about their failures like the Fire Phone and other things you probably haven't even heard of, Amazon Destinations, anyone?Lessons to think like an innovator and be more decisive:Primitive Thinking - Creating the...
2025-07-0136 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#413 — "More From Sam": Trump & Israel, Corruption, Free Speech Violations, the Democrats, & Ezra KleinSam hopped back on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to talk about current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. They discuss whether Jews in the U.S. are safer under Trump, due process rights and free speech, what Trump is doing to universities, the Trump family's latest corruption scandals, Sam's updated views on Bill Maher's dinner at the White House, what Sam got wrong about wokeness and the 2024 election, Pete Buttigieg's appearance on Andrew Schulz's podcast, Gavin Newsom, and Ezra Klein. Produced by Griffin Katz If...
2025-05-0626 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#409 — "More From Sam": Religion, Deportations, Douglas Murray vs. Rogan, & Bill Maher's Dinner with TrumpSam hopped back on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to discuss current events and answer some of the questions you all submitted on Substack. By far the most common feedback we hear from you guys is the following: "We want more from Sam." So that's what we're trying to bring you with this new series, "More From Sam." Sam and Jaron discuss community in the absence of religion, whether you should lie to your children about the existence of Santa Claus, Bill Ackman's response to Trump's tariff reversal, Douglas Murray's appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast, the...
2025-04-1648 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#408 — Finding Equanimity in ChaosDan Harris interviews Sam Harris for Dan's podcast, 10% Happier. They discuss how meditation helped Sam after evacuating his home during the LA fires, why Sam owns a gun, the ethics of violence, how to feel compassion for your political opponents, why it doesn't make sense to "hate" anyone, free will and determinism, psychedelics, the importance of training your mind, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind i...
2025-04-141h 50
Making Sense with Sam Harris#405 — "More From Sam": Tariffs, SignalGate, Trump, Elon, Douglas Murray, & Joe RoganBy far the most common feedback we hear from you guys is the following: "We want more from Sam." More of his thoughts on current events, more frequently. So that's what we're trying here, with this new exploratory series we've creatively titled "More From Sam." Sam jumped on with his manager and business partner, Jaron Lowenstein, to run through some of the topics you all suggested. They discuss tariffs, SignalGate, Trump, Elon, Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, The All-In podcast, Sam's upcoming podcast with Douglas Murray, and more. Subscribers can watch the full video on Substack here.
2025-04-0520 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#404 — What If Consciousness Is Fundamental?Sam Harris speaks with his wife, Annaka Harris, about LIGHTS ON, her ten-part audio documentary exploring the perplexities of consciousness and the cosmos. They discuss the hard problem of consciousness, whether consciousness is fundamental, what split-brain patients can teach us about consciousness, what consciousness being fundamental could mean for the world of physics, and other topics. After Annaka's conversation with Sam, we present an excerpt from LIGHTS ON. Chapter 8: Space and Time features author and science writer George Musser, as well as physicists Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovelli. Annaka draws on their noted expertise to...
2025-03-252h 20
Making Sense with Sam Harris#397 — A New Year's Message from SamIf the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.
2025-01-0118 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#390 — Final Thoughts on the 2024 Presidential ElectionSam Harris speaks with Mark Cuban about the 2024 presidential election. They discuss Trump's ethics, his apparent political indestructibility, election denialism, the influence of Elon Musk, the strengths and weaknesses of the Harris campaign, the mystery of the southern border, Trump's immigration and deportation policies, Elon's trafficking in the "great replacement theory," Trump's economic policy, Harris's tax and healthcare proposals, the effect of tariffs, the U.S. supply chain, the problem of wealth inequality, a proposed tax on unrealized capital gains, support for Israel, a return to normal politics, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo...
2024-11-011h 14
Making Sense with Sam Harris#389 — The Politics of RiskSam Harris speaks with Nate Silver about cultural attitudes toward risk and the state of American politics. They discuss the erosion of trust in liberal institutions, polling and political narratives, different camps of cultural elites, the influence of Silicon Valley, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Sam Bankman-Fried and the fall of FTX, Gell-Mann amnesia, Christopher Rufo, why Kamala Harris can't admit to having changed her views, a problem with strict utilitarianism, AI and existential risk, what people misunderstand about election forecasting, which news events have affected the 2024 race, how current polls might be misleading, public vs. private polling, undecided and...
2024-10-2533 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#387 — Politics & PowerSam Harris speaks with Ambassador Rahm Emanuel about the state of world order and American politics. They discuss the mystery of Japan's economic health, U.S. competition with China, possible conflict over Taiwan and the Philippines, the significance of the South China Sea, the history of the Japan-U.S. friendship, how the Democratic Party lost its way, immigration, whether Vice President Harris needs a "Sister Souljah moment," whether she should explain her changes of position better than she has, the standing of Israel in the eyes of the world, antisemitism, the Abraham Accords, Hamas, the West Bank, the influence...
2024-10-1544 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#384 — Stress Testing Our DemocracySam Harris speaks with Barton Gellman about election integrity and the safeguarding of American democracy. They discuss the war games he's run to test our response to an authoritarian president, using federal troops against American citizens, the difference between laws and norms, state powers to resist the federal government, voter identification and election integrity, political control over election certifications, the Bush-Gore election, the Electoral Count Reform Act, the prospect of public unrest after the November election, January 6th, George Soros, the "good people on both sides" calumny against Trump, what happens to Trump and Trumpism if Harris wins in...
2024-09-2340 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#361 — Sam Bankman-Fried & Effective AltruismSam Harris speaks with William MacAskill about the implosion of FTX and the effect that it has had on the Effective Altruism movement. They discuss the logic of "earning to give," the mind of SBF, his philanthropy, the character of the EA community, potential problems with focusing on long-term outcomes, AI risk, the effects of the FTX collapse on Will personally, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train y...
2024-04-011h 25
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThe Signal and The Noise - Nate SilverMaking good predictions is tough. We think we know more than we do and let emotions and biases creep in. How do some forecasters beat the odds? Our hosts, Nico and Sam, chat about the book "The Signal and the Noise" by Nate Silver exploring why predictions fail and uncovering practical insights.A little statistical training can go a long way! We geek out on Bayes' Theorem, discuss why poker develops useful reasoning skills, and tackle investing decisions using probabilities. Improving predictions requires tracking your results and having the courage to map what you don't know.
2024-02-0235 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#349 — Generosity, Cynicism, and the Future of Doing GoodSam Harris speaks with Chris Anderson about generosity in the age of the Internet. They talk about the new spirit of cynicism in tech and finance, the problems with DEI, the Coleman Hughes controversy at TED, the norm of color blindness, the science of generosity, the leverage of the Internet, the false opposition between selfishness and selflessness, mixed motives in giving, results vs reward, the importance of intentions, looking for the good in people, digital business models, the economics of TED, TEDx, wealth inequality, the ethics of billionaires, philanthropy at scale, the power of pledges, the arguments of Peter...
2024-01-161h 03Making Sense with Sam Harris#344 — The War in GazaSam Harris comments on the recent testimony of university presidents before Congress, along with Elon Musk's reinstating of Alex Jones on X. He then introduces a recent episode of the Call Me Back podcast about the war in Gaza, hosted by Dan Senor. Sam really enjoyed listening to this conversation and we're delighted to be able to share it with the Making Sense community. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to...
2023-12-1258 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#342 — Animal Minds & Moral TruthsSam Harris speaks with Peter Singer about important problems in ethics. They discuss his career as a philosopher, the moral status of non-human animals, the ethics of moral hierarchies, speciesism, the scale of animal suffering, conscientious omnivores, animal experimentation, the tragic case of Sam Bankman-Fried, concerns about Effective Altruism, the problems with focusing on existential risk, the comparative nature of human suffering, the work of Derek Parfit, objective morality, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2023-11-281h 02Making Sense with Sam Harris#337 — The Future of Psychedelic MedicineSam Harris speaks with Jeannie Fontana and Robin Carhart-Harris about the TREAT Initiative in California and the growing promise of psychedelics for mental health care. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the...
2023-10-041h 41Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThe 48 Laws of Power - Robert GreeneThe 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene are described as amoral, cunning, ruthless, and instructive. This multi-million-copy New York Times bestselling book brands itself as the definitive manual for anyone interested in gaining, observing, or defending against ultimate control.50 Cent loved the book so much that he reached out to the author to work with him.But what can we learn from this book about power, society, and morality and what are its limits?Hosts Sam Webster Harris and Nicolas Vereecke provide a summary of the 48 laws of power, and dis...
2023-08-0939 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Meditation | Episode 10 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we traverse a decade of Sam's conversations on the topic of meditation. We start with the very first recorded episode from the archives: a conversation with Sam's meditation teacher and friend, Joseph Goldstein. Goldstein recalls how his thinking was unlocked—allowing him to fully realize the power of the practice—by the utterance of one single word. We then hear from author Richard Lang as he guides us towards a strangely obvious insight that came to be known as "the headless way." Next, philosopher and neuroscientist Thomas Metzinger employs his vast expertise in bo...
2023-06-1839 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Death | Episode 9 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we explore Sam's conversations about the phenomenon of death. We begin with an introduction from Sam as he urges us to use our awareness of death to become more present in our day-to-day lives. We then hear a conversation between Sam and Frank Ostaseski, founder of the Zen Hospice Project, who shares the valuable lessons he has learned through caring for those in their very last days. Next, we move on to a conversation with Scott Barry Kaufman, who explains what it means to pursue a good life by putting a modern spin on...
2023-05-2641 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#320 — Constructing Self and WorldSam Harris speaks with Shamil Chandaria about how the brain constructs a vision of the self and the world. They discuss the brain from first principles; Bayesian inference; hierarchical predictive processing; the construction of vision; psychedelics and neuroplasticity; beliefs and prior probabilities; the interaction between psychedelics and meditation; the risks and benefits of psychedelics; Sam's recent experience with MDMA; non-duality; love, gratitude, and bliss; the self model; the Buddhist concept of emptiness; human flourishing; effective altruism; and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to...
2023-05-2251 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Social Media and the Information Landscape | Episode 8 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we examine a series of Sam's conversations centered around social media's impact on the information landscape. We begin with Sam's second conversation with Tristan Harris, which was conducted shortly after the release of Tristan's documentary, The Social Dilemma. The documentary lays out Tristan's thesis on how social media is causing the deterioration of both individual and societal welfare. Author and technologist Jaron Lanier follows, echoing Tristan's concerns and shifting the conversation to social media's unique business model, addressing how perverse incentives reliably produce such detrimental outcomes. We then hear from Jack Dorsey...
2023-05-0544 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Existential Threat and Nuclear War | Episode 7 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we examine the topic of existential threat, focusing in particular on the subject of nuclear war. Sam opens the discussion by emphasizing the gravity of our ability to destroy life as we know it at any moment, and how shocking it is that nearly all of us perpetually ignore this fact. Philosopher Nick Bostrom expands on this idea by explaining how developing technologies like DNA synthesis could make humanity more vulnerable to malicious actors. Sam and historian Fred Kaplan then guide us through a hypothetical timeline of events following a nuclear first...
2023-04-1249 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesThe Culture Code: Secrets of Highly Successful Groups - Daniel CoyleTeamwork is renowned for being the key to success. The practicalities of making it happen to rely on building a brilliant culture. But what does that mean?This book breaks down some memorable and thought-provoking examples leading to some actionable lessons.In our view, it is a perfect book for anyone in management or trying to bring out the most in their teams.- - -Wiser Than YesterdayNico and Sam set out to read the world's best books, from philosophy to sci-fi, economics...
2023-03-2135 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Belief and Unbelief | Episode 6 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we examine a series of Sam's conversations centered around religion, atheism, and the power of belief. First, we hear the stories of three guests who have fled their respective oppressive religious organizations. We begin with Sarah Haider, founder of the advocacy group Ex-Muslims of North America, who details how her encounters with militant atheists catalyzed her journey to secularism. Then our narrator, Megan Phelps-Roper, walks us through her story of abandoning the Westboro Baptist Church. Finally, Yasmine Mohammed presents her harrowing account of escaping fundamentalist Islamism and Sam's role in inspiring her public advocacy w...
2023-03-151h 03Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and Summaries4000 weeks: Time management for mortals - Oliver Burkeman4000 weeks is a productivity book that is anti-productivity. We are all going to die and optimising our day for every last morsel of work is not the way to be happy or effective.We break down the biggest lessons from the book which are practical to adopt in your life. We also discuss what the opportunities are economically and philosophically.- - -Wiser Than YesterdayNico and Sam set out to read the world's best books, from philosophy to sci-fi, economics to who knows what.Wiser...
2023-03-0932 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Free Will | Episode 5 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we examine the timeless question of "free will": what constitutes it, what is meant by it, what ought to be meant by it, and, of course, whether we have it at all. We start with the neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky who begins to deflate the widely held intuition and assumption of "libertarian free will" by drawing out a mechanistic and determined description of the universe. We then hear from the philosopher who has long been Sam's intellectual wrestling opponent on this subject, Daniel Dennett. Dennett and Sam spar about definitional and epistemological frameworks of what...
2023-02-1444 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Encounters With Violence | Episode 4 of The Essential Sam HarrisThis episode centers around the specter of violence and surfaces some of Sam's most controversial positions and difficult conversations. We begin with author and former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, who delivers some potentially life-saving aspects of "tactical empathy," which can also be applied to less extreme circumstances. Author and security expert Gavin de Becker then lays out his thesis from The Gift of Fear, which recasts this unfairly maligned emotion as an important attention-demanding, evolved signal. We then spend time with Sam's position on "profiling" and the moral and political complexities woven into it...
2023-01-2636 minWiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesWe're back - A quick updateWe had a long hiatus since the summer of 2022. The mind series rather dragged and we realised we needed to sort out a better system for things.We also had a few big life updates as Sam went on a long cycling trip and Nico's job became a little overwhelming along with launching his own podcast on the Future of Gaming.Back on track with a schedule and if you're intrigued you can hear about some of Sam's world-record ideas and Nico's gaming obsessions here.Wiser Than...
2023-01-1205 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Foundations of Morality | Episode 3 of The Essential Sam HarrisIn this episode, we try to trace morality to its elusive foundations. Throughout the compilation we take a look at Sam's "Moral Landscape" and his effort to defend an objective path towards moral evaluation. We begin with the moral philosopher Peter Singer who outlines his famous "shallow pond" analogy and the framework of utilitarianism. We then hear from the moral psychologist Paul Bloom who makes the case against empathy and points out how it is more often a "bug" in our moral software than a "feature." Later, William MacAskill describes the way a utilitarian philosophy informs his e...
2023-01-0544 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Consciousness | Episode 2 of The Essential Sam HarrisFilmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you'll find this series fascinating. In this episode, we survey the landscape of consciousness and get acquainted with the mystery of the mind. We start...
2022-12-1534 min
Making Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam HarrisFilmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics that Sam has focused on over the course of his career. Each episode weaves together original analysis, critical perspective, and novel thought experiments with some of the most compelling exchanges from the Making Sense archive. Whether you are new to a particular topic, or think you have your mind made up about it, we think you'll find this series fascinating. In this episode, we explore the landscape of Artificial Intelligence. We'll listen in on Sam's conversation with decision theorist and...
2022-11-221h 07Making Sense with Sam Harris#303 — The Fall of Sam Bankman-FriedSam Harris discusses the recent Sam Bankman-Fried fiasco, the collapse of FTX, and the future of Effective Altruism. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the t...
2022-11-1520 min
Very Bad WizardsOpen the Pod, Dave (with Sam Harris)We welcome Sam Harris back to the show for a deep dive into Stanley Kubrick's confounding 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey." How long is the Dawn of Man? What does the second monolith do exactly? Why are the humans so banal and expressionless? What are HAL'S motivations? Has he planned his mutiny from the start, or does the Council's deception make him manlfunction? Or something else? Who is the Council anyway? Was HAL meant to go through the stargate? What is the final leap forward in consciousness? The hotel room, the starchild, all the rectangles, rectangles everywhere, the music – what do...
2022-10-182h 34Making Sense with Sam Harris#297 — Preparing for the EndSam Harris speaks with BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger about preparing for death. They discuss the difference between palliative care and hospice, the tension between getting the most out of life and not clinging to experience, planning for death while still healthy, the importance of an advance directive, navigating the healthcare system, pain control at the end of life, assisted suicide, psychedelic therapy for end-of-life anxiety, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2022-09-231h 04Making Sense with Sam Harris#296 — Repairing Our CountrySam Harris speaks with Jonah Goldberg about the state of American politics and civil society. They discuss the hyperpartisanship of the Left and Right, what Trump has done to the Republican party, the breakdown of trust in institutions, the "new catastrophism" enabled by social media, the problem of populism, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. T...
2022-09-1342 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#295 — Philosophy and the Good LifeSam Harris speaks to Kieran Setiya about the relevance of philosophy to living a good life. They discuss the existence of objective moral truths, being happy vs living well, our response to grief, the difference between "telic" and "atelic" activities, the power of reframing, FOMO, bias toward the future, regret, the asymmetry between pain and pleasure, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single g...
2022-09-0944 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#294 — Status GamesSam Harris speaks with Will Storr about the role that status plays in human life and culture. They talk about the taboo around caring about status, egalitarianism, the perpetual insecurity of status, how we play multiple status games simultaneously, identity, social connection, dominance, virtue, success, status as an evolved mechanism, gossip, status and health, the consequences of humiliation, the role of social media, status and politics, conspiracy thinking, moral panics, status and philanthropy, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes...
2022-08-3140 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#292 — How Much Does the Future Matter?Sam Harris speaks with William MacAskill about his new book, What We Owe the Future. They discuss the philosophy of effective altruism (EA), longtermism, existential risk, criticism of EA, problems with expected-value reasoning, doing good vs feeling good, why it's hard to care about future people, how the future gives meaning to the present, why this moment in history is unusual, the pace of economic and technological growth, bad political incentives, value lock-in, the well-being of conscious creatures as the foundation of ethics, the risk of unaligned AI, how bad we are at predicting technological change, and other topics.
2022-08-142h 00Making Sense with Sam Harris#291 — Where is Happiness?Sam Harris speaks with Arthur C. Brooks about what it takes to build a good life. They discuss the power of social comparison, the intelligence taboo, political dignity and ethical hierarchy, the Dalai Lama, the nature of love, fluid and crystallized intelligences, the strange case of Linus Pauling, the limits of identity, atheism and religious faith, fear of death, psychedelics, existentialism, St. Thomas Aquinas, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning h...
2022-07-281h 04Making Sense with Sam Harris#290 — What Went Wrong?Sam Harris speaks with Marc Andreessen about the current state of Internet technology and culture. They discuss Marc's background in tech, the birth of the Internet, how advertising became the business model for digital media, the three stages of the Web, the blockchain, how successful technology reorders status and power in society, the Bitcoin white paper, the mystery surrounding the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, the importance of distributed consensus, Bitcoin as digital gold, how society has performed during Covid, James Burnham and managerial capitalism, the principal-agent problem, negative externalities, risk and regulation, trust in institutions, WTF happened in 1971, regulatory...
2022-07-2148 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#289 — Time Management for MortalsSam Harris presents an unconventional perspective on time management from Oliver Burkeman. Rather than focusing on rote efficiency or productivity, Burkeman calls on us to embrace our finitude and surrender to the rhythms of life, so that we may "end our struggle with time"—and live with "more accomplishment, more success, and more time spent on what matters most." If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single gre...
2022-07-1838 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#288 — The End of Global OrderSam Harris speaks with Peter Zeihan and Ian Bremmer about Peter's new book, The End of the World is Just the Beginning. They discuss a wide range of issues related to the deglobalization and demographic collapse, the differing fates of China and America, climate change, the war in Ukraine, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. T...
2022-07-1454 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#287 — Why Wealth MattersSam Harris speaks with Morgan Housel about the psychology of money and investing. They discuss how personal history shapes one's view of economic risk, the implications of not understanding the future, being rich vs being wealthy, how we measure success, the problem of social comparison, happiness vs life satisfaction, saving and investing, Warren Buffett and the power of compounding, rational vs reasonable decisions, the role of luck, optimism vs pessimism, dollar-cost averaging, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at...
2022-07-0550 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#286 — The Paradox of PsychedelicsSam Harris shares an audio essay exploring how psychedelics are, for many, the only way to glimpse "the vast firmament beyond the prison walls" of the "conceptual mind"—and often serve as the gateway to meditation. He also discusses how the very profundity of the psychedelic experience can distract us from the true purpose of mindfulness—the recognition that consciousness is always already free, in every moment. Also included are highlights from the Waking Up app created for a recent Tim Ferriss podcast. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to g...
2022-06-2841 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#285 — American DivisionSam Harris speaks with David French about forces that are pulling American society apart. They discuss David's experience as a JAG officer in Iraq, his experience of harassment for coming out against Trump, the way real grievances drive political derangement, the illiberalism on both the Left and the Right, the role of prophecy in Evangelical support for Trump, honor culture, the response to Hunter Biden's laptop, the January 6th hearings, the personality cult of Trumpism, federalism, geographic sorting, group polarization, cultural divisions in sports and entertainment, the gun rights movement, the ethics of gun ownership, whether Trump will be...
2022-06-2446 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#284 — The Funny BusinessSam Harris speaks with Judd Apatow about his career in comedy. They discuss his new documentary on George Carlin, why so much comedy ages badly, Carlin's drug use, how Judd structures his work, using improv in his films, adventures in parenthood, what is worth worrying about, the downside of fame, advice for creatives, the unique properties of standup comedy, the problem of political fragmentation, the consequences of not believing in free will, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at...
2022-06-0740 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#282 — Do You Really Have a Self?Sam Harris speaks with Jay Garfield about the illusion of the self. They discuss the default sense of subjectivity, the difference between absolute and conventional truth, interdependence, free will, subject-object duality, emptiness, the "mind-only" school of Buddhism, scientific realism and experiential anti-realism, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking U...
2022-05-2354 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesNEURODIVERSITY: The Man Who Mistook His Wife and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver SacksIn this book, neurologist Oliver Sacks, describes the case histories of some of his patients. Sacks chose the title of the book from the case study of one of his patients who has visual agnosia, a neurological condition that leaves him unable to recognize faces and objects. Sacks wrote the stories of 24 patients and their neurological conditions which was split into four sections – ‘Losses’, ‘Excesses’, ‘Transports’, and ‘The World of the Simple’ each dealing with a particular aspect of brain functionHost rating for 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat'NicoRating: 3/10
2022-05-1131 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#281 — Western Culture and Its DiscontentsSam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about his new book, "The War on the West." They discuss the problem of hyper partisanship on the Left and Right, the primacy of culture, Hunter Biden's laptop, the de-platforming of Trump and Alex Jones, the new religion of anti-racism, the problem of inequality, the 1619 Project, history of slavery, moral panics, the strange case of Michel Foucault, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how t...
2022-05-021h 11Making Sense with Sam Harris#280 — The Future of Artificial IntelligenceSam Harris speaks with Eric Schmidt about the ways artificial intelligence is shifting the foundations of human knowledge and posing questions of existential risk. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the p...
2022-04-2238 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#278 — The Man Who Will Be KingSam Harris speaks to Graeme Wood about Muhammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. They discuss the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the imprisonment of Saudi elites in the Ritz Carlton, the Vision 2030 campaign, relations with Israel, the posture of the Biden administration, energy policy, Saudi efforts to deprogram jihadists, the strange case of Musa Cerantonio, John Walker Lindh, the current condition of ISIS, the war in Ukraine, Russian propaganda, how Finland has made itself invasion-proof, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access...
2022-04-1337 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesNEURODIVERSITY - PSYCHOPATHS: The Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success by Kevin DuttonThe Wisdom of Psychopaths: What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of "madness" along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, h...
2022-04-0627 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesNEURODIVERSITY - AUTISM: NeuroTribes; The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity by Steve SilbermanNeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of NeurodiversityBy Steve SilbermanWhat is autism? A lifelong disability, or a naturally occurring form of cognitive difference akin to certain forms of genius? In truth, it is all of these things and more—and the future of our society depends on our understanding it. Wired reporter Steve Silberman unearths the secret history of autism, long suppressed by the same clinicians who became famous for discovering it, and finds surprising answers to the crucial question of why the number of diagnoses has soared in recent years. Goi...
2022-03-2329 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesNEURODIVERSITY - ADHD: Faster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain by Peter ShankmanFaster Than Normal: Turbocharge Your Focus, Productivity, and Success with the Secrets of the ADHD Brain By Peter ShankmanIn Faster Than Normal, Shankman shares his hard-won insights and daily hacks for making ADHD a secret weapon for living a full and deeply satisfying life. Both inspiring and practical, the book presents life rules, best practices, and simple but powerful ways to: Harness your creative energy to generate and execute your idea.Direct your hyperfocus to get things done Identify your pitfalls--and avoid them Streamline your daily routine to eliminate distractions Use apps...
2022-03-0238 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting RecapThoughts and Learnings in Investing Everyone should be thinking about investing. Every money decision you make is an investment decision. All investments are broadly equal on the risk/reward spectrum. Only actively make investment decisions when you have an edge. Your investment strategy will depend on your situation (your age, tolerance for downturns, goals, etc.) Compounding is key in investing and in life Downturns are the price you pay for being invested. Think positive-sum (put your money in positive-sum industries) - shorting!Nico's Top 3The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide...
2022-02-1641 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#274 — The Future of American DemocracySam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum, David Frum, Barton Gellman, and George Packer about the ongoing threat to American democracy posed by Republican misinformation and disinformation regarding the 2020 Presidential Election and the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice t...
2022-02-112h 20
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting: Art of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market by Noah HorowitzArt of the Deal: Contemporary Art in a Global Financial Market By Noah Horowitz Art today is defined by its relationship to money as never before. Prices of living artists' works have been driven to unprecedented heights, conventional boundaries within the art world have collapsed, and artists now think ever more strategically about how to advance their careers. Artists no longer simply make art, but package, sell, and brand it. Noah Horowitz exposes the inner workings of the contemporary art market, explaining how this unique economy came to be, how it works, and where it's headed. He takes a...
2022-02-0235 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting: What is Decentralized Finance or DeFiDecentralized Finance or DeFi Decentralized Finance offers financial instruments without relying on intermediaries such as brokerages, exchanges, or banks. Instead, it uses smart contracts on a blockchain. DeFi platforms allow people to lend or borrow funds from others, speculate on price movements on assets using derivatives, trade cryptocurrencies, insure against risks, and earn interest in savings-like accounts. DeFi uses a layered architecture and highly composable building blocks. Some applications promote high interest rates but are subject to high risk. In this episode, Nico and Sam thoroughly explained what is DeFi all about, the importance and risks involved, how it...
2022-01-1954 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness by Eric JorgensonThe Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness By Eric Jorgenson Getting rich is not just about luck; happiness is not just a trait we are born with. These aspirations may seem out of reach, but building wealth and being happy are skills we can learn. So what are these skills, and how do we learn them? What are the principles that should guide our efforts? What does progress really look like? Naval Ravikant is an entrepreneur, philosopher, and investor who has captivated the world with his principles for building wealth and creating long-term happiness. The...
2022-01-0552 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting: The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness by Morgan HouselThe Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness By Morgan Housel Doing well with money isn’t necessarily about what you know. It’s about how you behave. And behavior is hard to teach, even to really smart people. Money―investing, personal finance, and business decisions―is typically taught as a math-based field, where data and formulas tell us exactly what to do. But in the real world people don’t make financial decisions on a spreadsheet. They make them at the dinner table, or in a meeting room, where personal history, your own unique view of the wor...
2021-12-2943 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#271 — Earning to GiveIn this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sam Bankman-Fried about effective altruism. They discuss how he became the wealthiest self-made billionaire under 30, what might go wrong with cryptocurrency, the Giving What We Can pledge, how SBF thinks about using his resources to do the most good in the world, how not to stigmatize wealth, wealth redistribution, norms of generosity among the ultra-wealthy, pandemic preparedness, impact through lobbying, how ambitious should we be in doing good, and other topics. SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how...
2021-12-241h 15
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesInvesting: The Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment by Guy SpierThe Education of a Value Investor: My Transformative Quest for Wealth, Wisdom, and Enlightenment By Guy Spier What happens when a young Wall Street investment banker spends a small fortune to have lunch with Warren Buffett? He becomes a real value investor. In this fascinating inside story, Guy Spier details his career from Harvard MBA to hedge fund manager. But the path was not so straightforward. Spier reveals his transformation from a Gordon Gekko wannabe, driven by greed, to a sophisticated investor who enjoys success without selling his soul to the highest bidder. Spier's journey is similar to the...
2021-12-2248 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#270 — What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the lessons of the COVID pandemic. They discuss our failures to coordinate an effective response, the politics surrounding vaccination, vaccine efficacy, vaccine safety, how to think about scientific controversies, the epidemiology of excess deaths, transmission among the vaccinated, natural immunity, selection pressures and new variants, the failure of institutions, the lab-leak hypothesis, the efficacy of lockdowns, vaccine mandates, boosters, what would happen in a worse pandemic, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes...
2021-12-142h 51Making Sense with Sam Harris#269 — Deep TimeSam Harris speaks with Oliver Burkeman about our relationship to time. They discuss the perils of efficiency, being vs becoming, the illusion of time as a resource, parenting and childhood, work-life balance, the loss of leisure, the planning trap, social isolation, a modern Sabbath, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created t...
2021-12-0340 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#268 — The Limits of Self-KnowledgeSam Harris speaks with Stephen Fleming about the neuroscience of self-awareness. They discuss the nature and limits of metacognition, the relationship between self-knowledge and intelligence, error monitoring, theory of mind, mirror neurons, deception and self-deception, false confidence, probabilistic reasoning, where metacognition fails, cognitive decline, calibrating one's confidence, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why S...
2021-11-2436 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#267 — The Kingdom of SleepSam Harris speaks with Matthew Walker about the nature and importance of sleep. They discuss sleep and consciousness, the stages of sleep, sleep regularity, light and temperature, the evolutionary origins of sleep, reducing sleep, the connection between poor sleep and all-cause mortality (as well as Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease), sleep across species, learning and memory, mental health, dreams as therapy, lucid dreaming, heart-rate variability, REM-sleep behavior disorder and parasomnias, meditation and sleep, sleep hygiene, different types of insomnia, caffeine and alcohol, sleep efficiency, bedtime restriction, cognitive-behavioral therapy, napping, sleep tracking, and other topics. If...
2021-11-1049 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#266 — The Limits of PleasureSam Harris speaks with Paul Bloom about the role that pain and suffering play in living a good life. They discuss the limitations of hedonism, the connection between chosen suffering and meaning, the research of Daniel Kahneman on well-being, integrating the experiencing and remembering selves, moral motivations, the effects of parenthood on happiness, unchosen suffering, the asymmetry of loss and gain, Nozick's "experience machine" thought experiment, effective altruism, valuing the future more than the past, the power of contrast, false ideals of happiness, polyamory, money and status, the role of the imagination, boredom, the power of apology, and other...
2021-11-0247 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#265 — The Religion of Anti-RacismSam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about his new book "Woke Racism: How a New Religion has Betrayed Black America." They discuss how the "social justice" narrative of the Left has become a religion, how this new faith has taken over institutions, and what to do about it. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris c...
2021-10-2735 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#264 — Consciousness and Self (Rebroadcast)Sam Harris speaks with Anil Seth about the scientific study of consciousness, where consciousness emerges in nature, levels of consciousness, perception as a "controlled hallucination," emotion, the experience of "pure consciousness," consciousness as "integrated information," measures of "brain complexity," psychedelics, different aspects of the "self," conscious AI, and many other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's w...
2021-10-2148 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#263 — The Paradox of DeathSam Harris reflects on the subjective continuity of consciousness, the nature of identity, and the possibility that death isn't the end of experience. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice o...
2021-10-1818 min
Wiser Than Yesterday: Educational Book Reviews and SummariesBody: Born to Run by Christopher McDougallBorn to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never SeenBy Christopher McDougallInspiration for reading this book came when Nico's friend came for dinner wearing these weird-ass shoes. Naturally - he asked him about it, cause Nico love weird stuff, and told him that humans have evolved to walk and run barefoot, and that cushioned shoes are the reason why so many people have issues in their knees, hips and backs, both from running but also from daily life.And the best way to convince Nico of anything is to tell him that ancient humans...
2021-10-1333 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#262 — The Future of American DemocracySam Harris speaks with Andrew Yang about the state of American democracy. They discuss Andrew's run for the Presidency, the humiliations of campaigning, the manipulation of politics by the media, Andrew's run for the mayor's office in NYC, the power of bad incentives, open primaries, rank-choice voting, the Forward Party, the weakness of a two-party system, inequality, the child tax credit, enhanced unemployment, UBI, worries about inflation, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2021-10-0633 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#261 — Belief & IdentitySam Harris speaks with Jonas Kaplan about the neuroscience of belief change. They discuss the illusory truth effect, the backfire effect, failures of replication, "The Fireplace Delusion," the connection between reason and emotion, wishful thinking, persuasion and the sense of self, conspiracy theories, the power of incentives, in-group loyalty, religion, mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you c...
2021-10-0140 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#259 — The Reckoning to ComeSam Harris speaks with Balaji Srinivasan about several civilizational challenges and possible paths forward. They discuss the evidence of American decline, the rise of India and China, centralizing and decentralizing trends in politics, the relationship between politics and technology, the failures of the FDA and TSA, how regulation preserves monopolies, the significance of Bitcoin and blockchain technology, the problem of cybersecurity, the Chinese government's attack on Bitcoin, the threat of US regulation of cryptocurrency, blockchain scalability, creator coins, life in Singapore, virtual government, the future of decentralized journalism, independent replication in science, wealth inequality, ubiquitous investing, social status, non-zero-sum...
2021-09-011h 12Making Sense with Sam Harris#258 — The Fall of AfghanistanSam Harris speaks with Peter Bergen about the US exit from Afghanistan, the resurgence of the Taliban, and his new book, "The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden." They discuss the Neo-isolationist consensus on the Right and Left, the legitimacy of our initial involvement in Afghanistan, our ethical obligations to our Afghan allies, Biden's disastrous messaging, the weakness of the Afghan army, the advantages of the Taliban, the implications for global jihadism, the relationship between the Taliban and al-Qaeda, how Osama bin Laden came to lead al-Qaeda, bin Laden's sincere religious convictions, our failure to capture bin Laden...
2021-08-2346 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#257 — The State of the WorldSam Harris speaks with Dambisa Moyo about the state of the world. They discuss public goods, economic growth, capitalism, American economic history, bad public-policy choices, inequality, tax avoidance among the wealthy, government inefficiency, the problems with democracy, the breakdown of trust in institutions, failures of transparency, voter participation, future automation and unemployment, identity politics, the reality of racism in America, the problems with affirmative action, competition with China, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2021-08-141h 01Making Sense with Sam Harris#256 — A Contagion of Bad IdeasSam Harris speaks with Eric Topol about vaccine hesitancy and related misinformation. They discuss the problem of political and social siloing, concerns about mRNA vaccines, the Emergency Use Authorization by the FDA, the effectiveness of the COVID vaccines, vaccine efficacy vs effectiveness, the Delta variant, the misuse of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), concerns about long-term side effects from vaccines, bad incentives in medicine, ivermectin, government and corporate censorship, vaccine mandates, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes...
2021-07-231h 26Making Sense with Sam Harris#255 — The Future of IntelligenceSam Harris speaks with Jeff Hawkins about the nature of intelligence. They discuss how the neocortex creates models of the world, the role of prediction in sensory-motor experience, cortical columns, reference frames, thought as movement in conceptual space, the future of artificial intelligence, AI risk, the "alignment problem," the distinction between reason and emotion, the "illusory truth effect," bad outcomes vs existential risk, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how t...
2021-07-0958 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#254 — The Mating Strategies of EarthlingsSam Harris speaks with David Buss about the differential mating strategies of men and women. They discuss the controversy that surrounds evolutionary psychology, the denial of sex differences, cross-cultural findings in social science, the replication crisis in psychology, the biological definition of sex, why men and women have affairs, ovulatory shifts in mate preference, sex differences in jealousy and infidelity, the sources of unhappiness in marriage, mate-value discrepancies, what we can learn from dating apps, polyamory and polygamy, the plight of stepchildren, the "Dark Triad" personality type, the MeToo movement, and other topics. If the Making Sense...
2021-06-2549 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#253 — Corporate CourageSam Harris speaks with Jason Fried about the recent controversy over the "no politics" policy at his company Basecamp. They discuss his business philosophy, the surrender of institutions to "social-justice" activism, how politics has acquired a religious fervor, some of the cultural risks of remote work, keeping activists out of one's company, social media use as analogous to smoking cigarettes, antitrust regulations for big tech, how social media might be improved, the tax-avoidance schemes of the richest Americans, the prospect of implementing a wealth tax, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player...
2021-06-1745 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#252 — Are We Alone in the Universe?Sam Harris speaks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about our place in the universe. They discuss our current understanding of extra-solar planets, the prospect that there is complex life elsewhere in the galaxy, the Fermi problem, the possibility that all advanced civilizations self destruct, how we can detect life on exoplanets, recent media interest in UFOs, whether a direct encounter with alien life would change our world, the flat-Earth conspiracy, the public understanding of science, the problem of political partisanship, racial inequality, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can...
2021-06-1052 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#251 — Corporate CowardiceSam Harris speaks with Antonio García-Martínez about his recent firing at Apple. They discuss his experience in tech, his book "Chaos Monkeys," the controversy at Apple, cancel culture, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's mos...
2021-05-2739 minMaking Sense with Sam Harris#250 — Broken ConversationsSam Harris speaks with Jesse Singal about a variety of controversial topics. They discuss fragmentation in the media, bad incentives in journalism, Jesse's encounters with cancel culture, transgender activism, the case of J.K. Rowling, the capture of cultural institutions by the far Left, racism, class inequality, the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, whether Jesse should try psychedelics, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind i...
2021-05-2145 minMaking Sense with Sam HarrisMaking Sense with Sam Harris | TrailerJoin Sam Harris as he explores some of the most important questions about the human mind, society, and current events. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2020-12-0701 min
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement61: Sam Harris - Mastery and Mindsets - Mid 2019 UpdateSam Harris breaks down some key lessons on Mastery and Mindsets as a mid-year update for 2019.After a lot of requests to tell listeners what I'm up to I gave in and sat down and talked about myself by using the medium of giving life advice. So I guess this is an episode of Sam coaching Sam and explaining the principles he's using to improve and deal with problems. He also shows you cool opportunities that are available to you to make live more awesome.This is the first episode in a mini-series of advice from Sam that will cover...
2019-07-2842 min
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement43: Hit Your Health Goals - Sam HarrisSam discusses some top tips for making wise health decisions and keeping diet and exercise something that feels fun rather than a chore. Then we get a bonus masterclass from Arnold Schwarzenegger on the topic.Warning you may feel thoroughly motivated.ABOUT THE HOSTMy name is Sam Harris. I am a British entrepreneur, investor and explorer. From hitchhiking across Kazakstan to programming AI doctors I am always pushing myself in the spirit of curiosity and Growth. My background is in Biology and Psychology with a passion for improving the world and human behaviour. I have built...
2019-01-2621 min
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement42: Resolutions - 8 Strategies to Take Control of the Year - Sam HarrisSam Harris is here to get your 2019 on track with the best psychological strategies to make you achieve your ambitions for the year.Only 8% of resolutions end up working. This podcast is to tip the balance in your favour with science to keep you on the right path to a top year and a top you.ABOUT THE HOST My name is Sam Harris. I am a British entrepreneur, investor and explorer. From hitchhiking across Kazakstan to programming AI doctors I am always pushing myself in the spirit of curiosity and Growth. My background is...
2019-01-1631 min
Growth Mindset Psychology: The Science of Self-Improvement32: How to Make a Successful Podcast (or Other Side Project) - Sam HarrisI have been recording podcasts for nearly two years and running this show for over a year and running side projects for the past 10 years there are loads of thing I've learnt. (There is plenty still to learn and I don't want to pretend I am the ultimate master just yet)I break down some of the most important things to make your side project or hobby a successful endeavour that gives benefits back. In the second half of the episode I dive deeper into specific lessons and surprises I've learnt from running a podcast that I...
2018-10-0129 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#115 — Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, and Matt Dillahunty (1)In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Lawrence Krauss and Matt Dillahunty about the threat of nuclear war, Christian support for Trump, science and a universal conception of morality, the role of intuition in science, the primacy of consciousness, the nature of time, free will, the self, meditation, and other topics. SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.
2018-01-2938 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#115 — Sam Harris, Lawrence Krauss, and Matt Dillahunty (1)Sam Harris speaks with Lawrence Krauss and Matt Dillahunty about the threat of nuclear war, Christian support for Trump, science and a universal conception of morality, the role of intuition in science, the primacy of consciousness, the nature of time, free will, the self, meditation, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2018-01-2938 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#105 — Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt DillahuntyThe following conversation between Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt Dillahunty was recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver on November 2, 2017. SUBSCRIBE to continue listening and gain access to all content on samharris.org/subscribe.
2017-11-2037 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#105 — Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt DillahuntyThe following conversation between Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Matt Dillahunty was recorded at the Orpheum Theatre in Vancouver on November 2, 2017. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2017-11-2038 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#60 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (2)In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (second of two). They discuss Richard’s experience of having a stroke, the genetic future of humanity, the analogy between genes and memes, the “extended phenotype,” Islam and bigotry, the biology of race, how to find meaning without religion, and other topics. You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.
2017-01-101h 23
Making Sense with Sam Harris#60 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (2)Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (second of two). They discuss Richard's experience of having a stroke, the genetic future of humanity, the analogy between genes and memes, the "extended phenotype," Islam and bigotry, the biology of race, how to find meaning without religion, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2017-01-1036 min
Making Sense with Sam Harris#57 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (1)In this episode of the Making Sense podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (first of two). They cover religion, Jurassic Park, artificial intelligence, elitism, continuing human evolution, and other topics. You can support the Making Sense podcast and receive subscriber-only content at samharris.org/subscribe.
2016-12-191h 33
Making Sense with Sam Harris#57 — An Evening with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris (1)Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins at a live event in Los Angeles (first of two). They cover religion, Jurassic Park, artificial intelligence, elitism, continuing human evolution, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe.
2016-12-1942 min