Product Description

An impassioned plea for reason in a world divided by faith.

This important and timely book 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, we can no longer tolerate views that pit one true god against another. Most controversially, he argues that 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.

Natalie Angier wrote in the New York Times: "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."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3068 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.com
Sam Harris cranks out blunt, hard-hitting chapters to make his case for why faith itself is the most dangerous element of modern life. And if the devil's in the details, then you'll find Satan waiting at the back of the book in the very substantial notes section where Harris saves his more esoteric discussions to avoid sidetracking the urgency of his message.

Interestingly, Harris is not just focused on debunking religious faith, though he makes his compelling arguments with verve and intellectual clarity. The End of Faith is also a bit of a philosophical Swiss Army knife. Once he has presented his arguments on why, in an age of Weapons of Mass Destruction, belief is now a hazard of great proportions, he focuses on proposing alternate approaches to the mysteries of life. Harris recognizes the truth of the human condition, that we fear death, and we often crave "something more" we cannot easily define, and which is not met by accumulating more material possessions. But by attempting to provide the cure for the ills it defines, the book bites off a bit more than it can comfortably chew in its modest page count (however the rich Bibliography provides more than enough background for an intrigued reader to follow up for months on any particular strand of the author' musings.)

Harris' heart is not as much in the latter chapters, though, but in presenting his main premise. Simply stated, any belief system that speaks with assurance about the hereafter has the potential to place far less value on the here and now. And thus the corollary -- when death is simply a door translating us from one existence to another, it loses its sting and finality. Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in their own hands. If thoughts along the same line haunt you, this is your book.--Ed Dobeas

From Publishers Weekly
In this sometimes simplistic and misguided book, Harris calls for the end of religious faith in the modern world. Not only does such faith lack a rational base, he argues, but even the urge for religious toleration allows a too-easy acceptance of the motives of religious fundamentalists. Religious faith, according to Harris, requires its adherents to cling irrationally to mythic stories of ideal paradisiacal worlds (heaven and hell) that provide alternatives to their own everyday worlds. Moreover, innumerable acts of violence, he argues, can be attributed to a religious faith that clings uncritically to one set of dogmas or another. Very simply, religion is a form of terrorism for Harris. Predictably, he argues that a rational and scientific view—one that relies on the power of empirical evidence to support knowledge and understanding—should replace religious faith. We no longer need gods to make laws for us when we can sensibly make them for ourselves. But Harris overstates his case by misunderstanding religious faith, as when he makes the audaciously naïve statement that "mysticism is a rational enterprise; religion is not." As William James ably demonstrated, mysticism is far from a rational enterprise, while religion might often require rationality in order to function properly. On balance, Harris's book generalizes so much about both religion and reason that it is ineffectual.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Natalie Angier, The New York Times Book Review
An important book, on a topic that…should not be shielded from the crucible of human reason.

Customer Reviews

So should we bomb Iran?
"Harris pointedly asks us to consider that those who do not fear death for themselves, and who also revere ancient scriptures instructing them to mete it out generously to others, may soon have these weapons in their own hands."

So I wonder if Harris is in favor of a pre-emptive military strike on Iran? If so, then he's just like the fanatical Christian George W. Bush. I hope his faith in reason offers some realistic ideas on how to deal with people whose faith is in God.

Chaotic World: Belief in Faith Nourished in Primitive Times
The message in the book can be best obtained by a clear understanding of the age old and outdated philosophical thoughts and comparing them with the benefits of current knowledge of science and technology. Therefore, a good knowledge of this is essential for a peaceful international living without having to wage wars. But there are many who work against the spread of this knowledge through fear, and are carried away by writings transcribed at various times and declared as holy.

The book analyzes the current conflict between reason, acquired through scientific and technological knowledge, and outright faith in antiquated religious dogmas. It references ideologies as believed and practiced in various places in world. The problems arise when faith in these beliefs are defended and enforced ruthlessly. The reader is provided with ample opportunity with references and lengthy notes to fall back and to improve understanding of the current clashes. This can make it difficult for the reader, who is not well versed in these ideas, to sustain interest in the important message. Consequently it tends to disrupt smooth flow of reading, and can induce loss of interest. A concentrated reading effort is required, and the interested reader should be prepared for this challenge. The flow of text in the book could be improved to make it an interesting piece of composition without using elliptical sentences. That is the writing style of the author. This is not a romantic novel or book of fairy tales.

World problems are not ascribable alone to blind faith. Due to natural genetic makeup of humans, powerful nations want to maintain superiority by inventing smart technologies, by usurpation of raw materials for energy, and control of world economy. This is often supported by resorting to ancient theocratic ideals which so often have clashed with each other. The book conveys a serious and important message to the world of the twenty-first century and beyond. Nobody can stop the dynamic progress and spread of science and technology. The Internet has been a great boon to society. We can "google" as we please, but should also be cautious and wise enough to make the most of the reliable information that we can get from such searches. We might look upon it as the first easy way to look beyond by searching in libraries to establish the credibility of the information obtained. That is fortunate because we do not live in the bygone dark ages when such easy access to knowledge was scanty and forbidden. However, there is enough hatred and bigotry going around. This is depressing. Sam Harris makes a brave effort to enlighten the reader with "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason (Hardcover)". The future of humanity to aspire and work collectively could be at stake if reason is abandoned.

Thoughtful people are aware that world problems have been largely due to our genetic make up. In the primitive stages of human development, the work horse for sustaining human specie, the brain relied largely on mythological tales, miracles ascribed to pagan gods, and by authoritative and fictional credos. Deities were supposed to control mythically glorious heavens or terrifying hell fires for life after death for reward or punishment. Language development has made it possible to collect thoughts in books and scriptures which have been sanctified by self-anointed theocratic bodies; with the help of contemporary rulers of the times they have succeeded in forcing their views and writings on the defenseless masses deprived of basic necessities of living. Ignorance and fear have been used to propagate, coerce, and enforce theocratic ideas. Dogmatic beliefs are taught to the young when they have not yet reached the age of reason. Delusions of god and devil have been largely due to ideas created and perpetrated through the so called sacred writings sanctified as the unquestionable truth. Opposition has not been encouraged.

Current media, which should be independent, is lacking in its courage of conviction and credibility. Fortunately there are scientist, writers, and thoughtful people who possess good understandings of our genetic structure, science and technology. They have been contributing to understand the need international cooperation for peaceful living. There is much to be done.

The Death Blow to an Ancient 40 Century Curse: Magical-Religion or Religio-Politics!
Dr. Sam Harris [to be awarded his doctorate in Cognitive Neuro-Science] has revealed the 40 centuries of duplicity of our quasi-magical religious system. Its purpose is to control our minds, hearts and body by appealing to vulgar ignorance and superstition. Without religion, the human species would not be so ignorant ["not knowing"] and stupid ["put the mind in a daze"]. Its purpose to to inflict misery and poverty on the larger groups in any society so a few can live well off the backs of these many. It is animal deceit that came out of the homosexual priesthood of the ancient world (11% of our species is homosexual)!

What Dr. Harris did not state is how difficult it is to root out this falsity in human nature. In our historical record when one vile religious system must supplant another odious system, one merely chops off the noses, ears and tongue, or "cabbage head" to root out the presumed vile contagion. Why cabbage head? No one wants to have sex with such a hideous creature, hence he dies off; and with his death, the old religion goes. This was how the vile, vulgar superstition of Christianity supplanted the Roman State Religion; Islam supplanted Christianity; and Zoaroastrian Persian State Religion was supplanted by Mazdeism!

So mankind will continue to cling to the filthy robes of religion---it is how she hides her moral and legal crimes, and further deceit in business. All the town theives sit in the front pew on Sunday to hide their petty crimes throughout the week against their fellow man. Is this not obvious?

There has been much lucid insights given about Dr. Harris' treatise, most of it inane and self-patronizing. We twin brothers need not add further dribble to this incompetent mass of third-rate ideas. Dr. Harris requires and demands better. He has written a charming, lucid masterpiece! Presently, our time and age are too confused and ill-educated to appreciate his tutelary genius!

The Age of Belief was the 12th-13th Century in Europe. We are an age of dunces who do not understand what religion was, and what is worse, what it is now! It is merely mental sickness and disease in our culture which renders all of us unsafe and unhealthy!

This virulence will only be with us for two more centuries!

Presently, it is data systems, economic systems and mathematical systems that run things, so the dolts in religion can run their sterile rant and fill out minds with their dry, mental rot!

We were disappointed that Dr. Harris did not reveal that Jeshua [or Jesus] had a twin brother, Judas. Our ancient epigraphic Roman Latin records, Aramaic records, Syriac record, Coptic records, Ethioptic records and even Sanskrit records attest to this obvious attribution. When one twin was killed for Jewish moral violation [Jeshua] around A.D. 29/30 by the 'cross of the beast' of Roman penal technique (Jews would have set him on fire or buried him alive by their penal system), the other twin, ran around the countryside for four more years before he also was killed like his twin in A.D. 34. When you are an identical twin, indeed, you come back from the dead to outsiders who do not know you are a twin! In our manuscript traditions this other twin is called "Didymus Judas Thomas" or a variation thereof. Naturally, 'didymus' is Koine Greek for identical twin and 'thomas' is Palestinian Aramaic for identical twin.

We ancient scholars have been sitting on this vulgar truth since the 1860's. We will not release it to the fools in religion until around A.D. 2030. We remind this readership that very few people read Oriental languages and their scripts. They are essentially brain dead. For that matter, who can even read Classical Latin, Classical Greek and Classical Hebrew? Certainly not the blockheads in religion or those human scum who profess they are Bible students.

If we are severe in these matters, it is because we have forty centuries of historical details in our minds. When great misery, suffering and pain are inflicted on the general population, it is always the scoundrels in religion who either perpetrate the crime or give cover to the crime by others (in military or political-governmental structures)!

Dr. Harris has written a morally good book!


Respectfully,


John E.D.P. Malin,
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
James F.D.P. Malin,
Vice Chairman of the Board & Chief Research & Development Officer
Informatica Corporation
Executive Division
P.O. Drawer 460
Cecilia, Louisiana 70521-0460

"Fathers of the Silicon Bayou"

Contact Information: InformaticaMalin@gmail.com

P.S. We would be remiss in our duties here if we did not give correct insight into the 'War on Terror.' This too is ancient dupery! Its correct Latin name is 'pura et pia bella' [Latin, "pure and pious wars"]. It is the purpose of the scoundrels in religion who live off the backs of the people to harness terror in our local communities. The religious crowd is even too stupid to manage this simple task!

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