The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

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W. W. Norton & Company, Sep 17, 2005 - Philosophy - 348 pages
"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.
 

Contents

Reason in Exile
11
The Nature of Belief
50
In the Shadow of God
80
The Problem with Islam
108
West of Eden
153
A Science of Good and Evil
170
Experiments in Consciousness
204
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About the author (2005)

Sam Harris received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph. D in neuroscience from UCLA. His works include Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, and Free Will. The End of Faith won the 2005 PEN Award for Nonfiction. He is the co-founder and CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. His title Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion made The New York Times Best Seller List.

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