Sam Harris - Misconceptions About Atheism

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2007/07/04/Clash_Between_Faith_and_Reason

Author Sam Harris addresses what he feels are several commonly-held misconceptions about atheism.

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"Believing the Unbelievable: The Clash Between Faith and Reason in the Modern World" with Sam Harris speaking at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

Sam Harris is the author of the New York Times bestsellers, The End of Faith and Letter to a Christian Nation. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction.

Mr. Harris' writing has been published in over ten languages. He and his work have been discussed in Newsweek, TIME, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Chicago Tribune, The Economist, The Guardian, The Independent, The International Herald Tribune, Der Spiegel, The Globe and Mail, New Scientist, Wired, SEED Magazine, and many other journals.

Mr. Harris makes regular appearances on television and radio to talk about the danger that religion now poses to modern societies. His essays have appeared in Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times, The Times of London, The Boston Globe, and elsewhere. He blogs for the Washington Post / Newsweek website: On Faith, the Huffington Post, TruthDig, and Edge.org. Mr. Harris is a graduate in philosophy from Stanford University and has studied both Eastern and Western religious traditions, along with a variety of contemplative disciplines, for twenty years. He is completing a doctorate in neuroscience.

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[paramattic70]

@helptheherd Arguing with a Christian is like wrestling a pig. In the end, you're both covered in shit and the pig is still a pig.

[epicdeed]

I for one like the perspective that Athiests don't hold on to any belief. That itself is not a belief, it is NOT having a belief. Without evidence, why would we sign up to any superstition?

[yardgoods]

@paramattic70 And are you still you...?

[Helptheherd]

@AtheistDemon87 atheism is the path to suicde...stop spreading your evil belief system to children

God bless

[xchargerOUx]

@AtheistDemon87 - Being condescending proves his point. please(which is how it's spelled) continue. ;)

[xchargerOUx]

@epicdeed - Why would we sign up to any theory?

[crypto986]

Sam harris! Treat all abrahamic religions including judaism! You cast doubts on your motives.

[Faerlon123]

@MrTubetown I'm perfectly sure that believeing religious makes you happy. I have problems believing that at all. I'm for anything that makes people happy. What I am not for however, is people telling me that I need to believe as they do or I will be tormented for all eternity in a lake of fire. If this belief makes them happy, there is something seriously wrong with them, and I am going to tell them even if they don't want to listen.

[MrTubetown]

@Faerlon123

That's my point - that atheists tend to believe those things - that religion is immoral and harmful, etc, etc. There is plenty of scientific evidence to show that religon is not a purely negative influence, and that it's probably an evolutionary adaptation with net benefits. Many atheists ignore all this preferring to cling firmly to their belief that religion is purely noxious and must be eradicated. It's not a reasonable nor scientific position.

[Faerlon123]

@MrTubetown Atheism is not better by definition. There are loads of religious people, that are good people. But I personally believe that they would be good even if they weren't religious. The problem is however that people who are religious are compelled to believe whatever their doctrine tells them too, at least in most cases. And like most atheists agree on, many aspects of religion are in fact immoral or just plain harmful to society.