The End of Faith

By: Sam Harris

Narrated by: Brian Emerson

Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is an impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith. This important and timely work delivers a startling analysis of the clash of faith and reason in today's world.

Harris offers a vivid historical tour of mankind's willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs, even when those beliefs are used to justify harmful behavior and sometimes heinous crimes. He asserts that in the shadow of weapons of mass destruction, the world can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that the we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion - an accommodation that only blinds us to the real perils of fundamentalism.

While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris also draws on new evidence from neuroscience and insights from philosophy to explore spirituality as a biological, brain-based need. He calls on us to invoke that need in taking a secular humanistic approach to solving the problems of this world.

©2007 Sam Harris (P)2004 W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Excellent book!

What did you love best about The End of Faith?

Sam Harris argues that the we cannot afford moderate lip service to religion - and argues it well. Very persuasive and enlightening. I think Sam Harris is brilliant and I love to listen to his arguments. I highly recommend this book. I loved it.

Any additional comments?

If you like Sam Harris's The End of Faith, be sure to also read/listen to Letter to a Christian Nation.

Timeless and Powerful

Sam Harris' thoughtfulness, eloquence, and sheer intellectual prowess shine through in this book. His criticism of Islam is appropriately balanced by a criticism of all religions, and he manages to call out real problems in the Muslim world without coming off as biased against Muslims themselves. His criticism is equal-opportunity, as his chapters - well documented with evidence - on the historical atrocities of Christianity attest.

Still Applicable

The End of Faith seems even more relevant an applicable to our society today as it did when it was first written. Bravo Dr. Harris.

Good Work Exposes Sam

What did you love best about The End of Faith?

I’m a Sam Harris fan, but Sam Harris loses me on this one. To the extent that much of his reasoning is sound, I’m lockstep with him through most of this work though am somewhat disappointed at his own confounding inability to temper a certain western bias he filters some of criticisms through. Although Harris owns some of the horrific deeds committed by the U.S. in exploiting its asymmetrical power relationships (I’m U.S. born by the way), he makes grave errors in presuming to be in the know in terms of intent of some of our nations most heinous attacks; almost excusing the untold deaths that result a tty elands of U.S. heavy ballistics, sanctions and withholding of aid. Chomsky really does best Sam and its unfortunate Harris is unable to receive this.

I’m particularly disturbed Harris’ clumsy handling of the Israeli/Palestinian “arrangement”, though in his defense, this book was authored before much of what the West has seen illuminated recently. Lastly, I’d have preferred Harris perform the narration. I will say that there are plenty of nuggets, thoughtful insights in this work and its worth a read. I’d only offer that an objective listener will not be able to help but detect some notes of bias.

Refreshing perspective.

If you could sum up The End of Faith in three words, what would they be?

Clear alternative perspective.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I liked the last two chapters where the author gives a brief synopsis of religion, mysticism, meditation, etc.. One of the clearest explanations of our main methods of achieving consciousness.

Any additional comments?

It is always refreshing to get a perspective of faith from someone with the ability to reason without many or any bias. I believe the author did a great job and looking at the subject of religion, comparing them, and showing the cruel similarities. For those of us who are religious or formerly religious, this book helps break loose some of the well placed archaic boundaries of the mind that have conditioned us out of reasoning.

Knocks it out of the park

Loved it. On an atheist kick lately and listening to Sam Harris is as comfortable as hitchens and fry and Dawkins; they’re like listening to logic lasers.

Good book, bad narrator

Great book, good ideas. Wish Sam Harris had read it himself. The narrator doesn't seem to be able to inflect and give proper emphasis to Sam's words.

Incredible, thought provoking as expected

But prefer Sam reading his own books. Connects the usual danger of ideology [especially in form of religions forced upon us in our all-believing childhoods] and how it separates humanity, sets us against one another, and extinguishes rational thought.
Appreciate review of science backed outcomes and now some framework of inner-workings of meditation practice.

Excellent Reality Thinking

Mr. Harris puts forward brilliant critical thinking in a humbling manner. Not to mention he's spot on. A refreshing romp into common sense.

An effective damnation of all things religious

Intelligent, persuasive, and very interesting. If this book doesn't free you from whatever silly ideas you were raised with, I don't know what will.