"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 TimesIn ?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.
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
Download [MOBI + EPUB]: http://goo.gl/rctB7h
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
Download [MOBI + EPUB]: http://goo.gl/rctB7h
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