New Releases by Sam Harris

Brev till en kristen nation av Sam Harris väckte stor uppmärksamhet i USA när den först publicerades och har även uppmärksammats i den europeiska debatten kring religionens roll i samhället. Boken är utformad som ett brev till den troende, där Harris ifrågasätter och analyserar den nya religiositeten som breder ut sig i skolorna i USA där intelligent design och kreationism ställs mot naturvetenskapens rön. Han kallar det för en ”moralisk och intellektuell krissituation” i denna korta men slagkraftiga pamflett. Boken har legat högt på de amerikanska bästsäljarlistorna.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Faith, a thought-provoking, "brilliant and witty" (Oliver Sacks) look at the notion of free will—and the implications that it is an illusion. A belief in free will touches nearly everything that human beings value. It is difficult to think about law, politics, religion, public policy, intimate relationships, morality—as well as feelings of remorse or personal achievement—without first imagining that every person is the true source of his or her thoughts and actions. And yet the facts tell us that free will is an illusion. In this enlightening book, Sam Harris argues that this truth about the human mind does not undermine morality or diminish the importance of social and political freedom, but it can and should change the way we think about some of the most important questions in life.

Essay tegen het liegen, omdat eerlijkheid altijd productiever is.

Filosofische verhandeling over de mogelijkheid om op wetenschappelijke manier ethiek te bedrijven.

New York Times bestselling author Sam Harris’s first book, The End of Faith, ignited a worldwide debate about the validity of religion. In the aftermath, Harris discovered that most people—from religious fundamentalists to non-believing scientists—agree on one point: science has nothing to say on the subject of human values. Indeed, our failure to address questions of meaning and morality through science has now become the primary justification for religious faith. In this highly controversial book, Sam Harris seeks to link morality to the rest of human knowledge. Defining morality in terms of human and animal well-being, Harris argues that science can do more than tell how we are; it can, in principle, tell us how we ought to be. In his view, moral relativism is simply false—and comes at an increasing cost to humanity. And the intrusions of religion into the sphere of human values can be finally repelled: for just as there is no such thing as Christian physics or Muslim algebra, there can be no Christian or Muslim morality. Using his expertise in philosophy and neuroscience, along with his experience on the front lines of our “culture wars,” Harris delivers a game-changing book about the future of science and about the real basis of human cooperation.

O livro de Sam Harris ataca os alicerces das religiões dogmáticas, numa contundente denúncia do perigo representado pelo relativismo cultural e pela tolerância aos fundamentalismos. Dos atentados suicidas dos terroristas islâmicos à influência de organizações religiosas sobre o governo norte-americano, nenhuma manifestação de irracionalidade relacionada à fé é poupada. O autor elenca os horrores da Inquisição, do antissemitismo e das ''guerras santas'' para iluminar as estruturas arcaicas do discurso religioso, apontando no componente dogmático da crença o principal responsável pelo explosivo ''choque de civilizações'' que hoje ameaça a existência da humanidade.

“Gagasan bahwa Yesus Kristus mati untuk menebus dosa kita dan kematiannya merupakan pengorbanan yang sukses untuk Tuhan yang ‘penuh kasih’ adalah warisan perselisihan berbau takhayul… yang menghantui orang-orang bingung sepanjang sejarah….” Buku The End of Faith (2004) menggegerkan dunia Kristen. Protes pun menyeruak. Ribuan umat Kristiani melayangkan surat kepada penulisnya, Sam Harris. Mereka mencela dan mengecam Harris karena "menentang" ajaran Kristen. Surat Terbuka untuk Bangsa Kristen adalah respons atas surat-surat tersebut. Di dalamnya, Harris menangkis protes yang ditujukan kepadanya. Mengupas topik-topik mutakhir terutama menyangkut relasi agama dan kekerasan, dia menyangkal dengan telak keyakinan kaum fundamentalis Kristen. Buku kecil ini menyodorkan informasi sekaligus kritik pedas ihwal dominasi Kristen konservatif di banyak lini kehidupan publik di Amerika Serikat. Lebih dari itu, karya ini mengabarkan bahwa fundamentalisme agama tak melulu monopoli Islam. Bacalah “surat” ini, dan Anda akan paham alasan teologis di balik invasi AS ke Irak, atau Afghanistan.

Seit Krieg wieder heilig ist und betende Politiker zu Kreuzzügen aufrufen, wird allenorten von einem Wiedererstarken der Religion gesprochen. Sam Harris betrachtet den Zusammenhang zwischen Religion und Gewalt mit nüchternen Augen. Frei von der weit verbreiteten theistischen Betriebsblindheit untersucht er die Hintergründe des islamistischen Terrors. Hier spricht einer aus, was andere kaum mehr zu denken wagen, endlich ein Autor, der zu unterscheiden weiss zwischen Religion und Spiritualität. Ein Weckruf in glaubensverdunkelter Zeit.

Waarschuwing aan de westerse samenleving tegen de gevaren van religie als broeinest van irrationaliteit en geweld, met een pleidooi voor een redelijke levensbeschouwing die is gebaseerd op empirisch, natuurwetenschappelijk bewijs.

From the new afterword by the author: Humanity has had a long fascination with blood sacrifice. In fact, it has been by no means uncommon for a child to be born into this world only to be patiently and lovingly reared by religious maniacs, who believe that the best way to keep the sun on its course or to ensure a rich harvest is to lead him by tender hand into a field or to a mountaintop and bury, butcher, or burn him alive as offering to an invisible God. The notion that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that his death constitutes a successful propitiation of a “loving” God is a direct and undisguised inheritance of the superstitious bloodletting that has plagued bewildered people throughout history. . .

"The End of Faith articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated....Harris writes what a sizable number of us think, but few are willing to say."—Natalie Angier, New York Times In The End of Faith, Sam Harris delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. He offers a vivid, historical tour of our willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs—even when these beliefs inspire the worst human atrocities. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris draws on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to deliver a call for a truly modern foundation for ethics and spirituality that is both secular and humanistic. Winner of the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for Nonfiction.