Publishers Weekly
06/22/2020
Religious skeptic Harris (coauthor, The Four Horsemen) challenges a wide range of political, spiritual, and cultural orthodoxies in this greatest-hits selection from his podcast Making Sense. In his favorite discussions (updated with “many small amendments and clarifications”) from the podcast’s six-year history, Harris displays his skills as an interviewer and conversationalist capable of clarifying complex ideas and engaging scholars from diverse backgrounds and fields of study on their areas of expertise. Highlights include a conversation with Swedish philosopher and physicist Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence) about existential risk, the Cold War, and nuclear deterrence; Harris’s efforts to create a working, contemporary definition of racism and with economist Glenn C. Loury (coauthor, Race, Incarceration, and American Values); and a discussion with biologist and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Robert Sapolsky (Behave) about the evolution of the brain and the human capacity for good and evil. The result is a collection full of stimulating, nuanced, and deeply informed discussions on both abstract concepts (the future of humanity; the nature of reality) and hot-button current events (the #MeToo movement). Readers will appreciate this accessible introduction to the work of some of today’s most cutting-edge thinkers. Agent: John Brockman, Brockman, Inc. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
Harris displays his skills as an interviewer and conversationalist capable of clarifying complex ideas and engaging scholars from diverse backgrounds and fields of study on their areas of expertise. . . . The result is a collection full of stimulating, nuanced, and deeply informed discussions on both abstract concepts (the future of humanity; the nature of reality) and hot-button current events (the #MeToo movement).” — Publishers Weekly
“Free and open debate, in the best sense of the word. . . . The book’s advantage over the podcast is that readers can linger as they need to and cherry-pick interviews at will. Recommended for anyone who wants to spend time with intelligent minds wrestling not with each other but with understanding.” — Kirkus Reviews
“There's only one podcast I never miss, and it’s the one that has the most appropriate title in all of broadcasting. Does anyone simply make more sense than Sam Harris?” — Bill Maher
“Sam Harris is the most intellectually courageous man I know, unafraid to speak truths out in the open where others keep those very same thoughts buried, fearful of the modish thought police. With his literate intelligence and fluency with words, he brings out the best in his guests, including those with whom he disagrees.” — Richard Dawkins, author of The Selfish Gene
“One of the most consistently intelligent and thought-provoking shows out there, and not just in the podcast space. Sam’s is a much-needed voice during these unprecedented times.” — Ian Bremmer, author of Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism
“Even in casual discussion, Sam is intelligent, educated, honest, considered and brave. He’s really not cut out for the Internet.” — Ricky Gervais
“Sam Harris is a genius and his podcast explores many of the important issues of our time. (Yes it’s as good as that sounds.) Sam is a voice of reason and science in an era that needs both more than ever. The Making Sense podcast essentially launched my presidential campaign.” — Andrew Yang
“I don’t have many can’t miss podcasts, but Making Sense is right at the top of that short list. Sam Harris and his varied and fascinating guests generate light but not heat. The choir is neither preached to nor pointlessly provoked. I have never finished a single episode without having learned something and being given pause for real thought.” — Stephen Fry
“Do yourself a favor, broaden your perspectives and listen to the Making Sense podcast. Whatever your politics, you will find ideas and points of views you've never considered before, in fields you don't know, from neuroscience to computer science to culture.” — Anne Applebaum, author of Gulag
“I’ve been an avid listener to Sam's podcast from the beginning and not one episode goes by without me learning something new about life, culture, politics, religion, history, and especially the human mind. Sam is an enlightened, rational voice in a world that needs it now, perhaps more than ever, especially if we are to survive, or thrive, in spite of the collective weaknesses that make us human.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist, American Museum of Natural History
“To the raging controversies of the day, Sam Harris adds a voice of civility and reason.” — Lawrence Wright, author of The Looming Tower
“Making Sense brings the power and patience of contemplation to the art of conversation. Sam Harris models not only how to articulate complex ideas, but also how to truly hear the ideas of others. This is cognitive jazz at its best.” — Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock
“It's no wonder that Sam attracts a huge audience. He is a thinker with his own ideas, so his interviews are some of the most interesting conversations you are ever likely to hear.” — Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation
“Sam Harris is tremendous at his job; sharp, skeptical in just the best sense, and full of curiosity and openness. He's a terrific questioner, and he greatly enlivens and improves public discourse.” — Cass Sunstein, author of Can It Happen Here?: Authoritarianism in America
“In the huge world of interviewers, Sam Harris stands out at the top for his probing questions, and for his own thoughtful views.” — Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel
“There is no podcast that approaches the intellectual rigor and open mindedness of Sam Harris' Making Sense. It's a regular dose of sane, patient reason and dialogue. In a tribalized world, it reveres the individual, inquisitive mind. And Sam has some balls to talk honestly where so many others won't.” — Andrew Sullivan, author of The Conservative Soul
“Sam Harris is a true public intellectual: he thinks deeply about a wide range of issues and engages fearlessly with controversial topics and unpopular opinions. You don't have to agree with him to learn from him—I always come away from his show with new insights and new questions.” — Adam Grant, author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the TED podcast WorkLife
“This podcast is perfectly named. Sam makes sense of important, difficult, and often controversial topics with deep preparation, sharp questions, and intellectual fearlessness. More, please!” — Andrew McAfee, author of More from Less and coauthor of The Second Machine Age
“Sam has given us one of the greatest podcasts in the world for clear thinking. We are better equipped to face the perils and uncertainties of life with it in the air. It’s a stand-out leader in a cluttered field and being Sam’s guest on it was a career highlight.” — Derren Brown, author of Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine
“In a nation and at a time that seems to have lost all capacity for nuance and reason in its public discourse, Making Sense serves a deep and important purpose: allowing people to discuss pressing matters in careful and yet exciting ways, to the benefit of us all. Sam Harris, ever brilliant, is a national treasure.” — Nicholas Christakis, author of Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society
“Of all the podcasts available, the one nobody should miss is Making Sense. Every episode is stimulating. In an era when everyone seems to have lost their reason, here is one of the few places where reason remains safe.” — Douglas Murray, author of The Strange Death of Europe and The Madness of Crowds
“There are precious few spaces in the media landscape where difficult, rigorous and respectful conversations can play out at substantial length, without agenda. Sam Harris created the model for such illuminating exchange, and the Making Sense podcast is a treasure trove of discussions with many of the most compelling and fascinating minds of our era.” — Thomas Chatterton Williams, contributing writer, The New York Times Magazine, author of Self Portrait in Black and White.
"Making Sense is a refueling station for the mind, and I visit it regularly. As an interviewer, Sam is both rigorous and generous. His show is completely devoid of the cheap shots and tribal bickering that characterize so much of podcasting. Making Sense is joyful play of the mind, without a trace of the partisan cretinism that disfigures the vast majority of our discourse these days." — Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State
"Making Sense is one of the most thought-provoking podcasts that I've come across. Sam Harris does an incredible job probing—and finding answers to—some of the most important questions of our times.” — Siddhartha Mukherjee, author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History
“In the rapidly expanding universe of podcasts, Sam Harris's Making Sense is a firmly established galaxy of brilliant minds orbiting Sam's shrewd but solar intelligence. I am frequently late for work because I start listening while shaving and can't bring myself to hit pause.” — Niall Ferguson, author of The Ascent of Money
Stephen Fry
I don’t have many can’t miss podcasts, but Making Sense is right at the top of that short list. Sam Harris and his varied and fascinating guests generate light but not heat. The choir is neither preached to nor pointlessly provoked. I have never finished a single episode without having learned something and being given pause for real thought.
Andrew Yang
Sam Harris is a genius and his podcast explores many of the important issues of our time. (Yes it’s as good as that sounds.) Sam is a voice of reason and science in an era that needs both more than ever. The Making Sense podcast essentially launched my presidential campaign.
Ian Bremmer
One of the most consistently intelligent and thought-provoking shows out there, and not just in the podcast space. Sam’s is a much-needed voice during these unprecedented times.
Anne Applebaum
Do yourself a favor, broaden your perspectives and listen to the Making Sense podcast. Whatever your politics, you will find ideas and points of views you've never considered before, in fields you don't know, from neuroscience to computer science to culture.
Bill Maher
There's only one podcast I never miss, and it’s the one that has the most appropriate title in all of broadcasting. Does anyone simply make more sense than Sam Harris?
Richard Dawkins
Sam Harris is the most intellectually courageous man I know, unafraid to speak truths out in the open where others keep those very same thoughts buried, fearful of the modish thought police. With his literate intelligence and fluency with words, he brings out the best in his guests, including those with whom he disagrees.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson
I’ve been an avid listener to Sam's podcast from the beginning and not one episode goes by without me learning something new about life, culture, politics, religion, history, and especially the human mind. Sam is an enlightened, rational voice in a world that needs it now, perhaps more than ever, especially if we are to survive, or thrive, in spite of the collective weaknesses that make us human.
Ricky Gervais
Even in casual discussion, Sam is intelligent, educated, honest, considered and brave. He’s really not cut out for the Internet.
Douglas Rushkoff
Making Sense brings the power and patience of contemplation to the art of conversation. Sam Harris models not only how to articulate complex ideas, but also how to truly hear the ideas of others. This is cognitive jazz at its best.
Nicholas Christakis
In a nation and at a time that seems to have lost all capacity for nuance and reason in its public discourse, Making Sense serves a deep and important purpose: allowing people to discuss pressing matters in careful and yet exciting ways, to the benefit of us all. Sam Harris, ever brilliant, is a national treasure.
Peter Singer
It's no wonder that Sam attracts a huge audience. He is a thinker with his own ideas, so his interviews are some of the most interesting conversations you are ever likely to hear.
Douglas Murray
Of all the podcasts available, the one nobody should miss is Making Sense. Every episode is stimulating. In an era when everyone seems to have lost their reason, here is one of the few places where reason remains safe.
Andrew McAfee
This podcast is perfectly named. Sam makes sense of important, difficult, and often controversial topics with deep preparation, sharp questions, and intellectual fearlessness. More, please!
Siddhartha Mukherjee
"Making Sense is one of the most thought-provoking podcasts that I've come across. Sam Harris does an incredible job probing—and finding answers to—some of the most important questions of our times.
Thomas Chatterton Williams
There are precious few spaces in the media landscape where difficult, rigorous and respectful conversations can play out at substantial length, without agenda. Sam Harris created the model for such illuminating exchange, and the Making Sense podcast is a treasure trove of discussions with many of the most compelling and fascinating minds of our era.”
Derren Brown
Sam has given us one of the greatest podcasts in the world for clear thinking. We are better equipped to face the perils and uncertainties of life with it in the air. It’s a stand-out leader in a cluttered field and being Sam’s guest on it was a career highlight.
Graeme Wood
"Making Sense is a refueling station for the mind, and I visit it regularly. As an interviewer, Sam is both rigorous and generous. His show is completely devoid of the cheap shots and tribal bickering that characterize so much of podcasting. Making Sense is joyful play of the mind, without a trace of the partisan cretinism that disfigures the vast majority of our discourse these days."
Niall Ferguson
In the rapidly expanding universe of podcasts, Sam Harris's Making Sense is a firmly established galaxy of brilliant minds orbiting Sam's shrewd but solar intelligence. I am frequently late for work because I start listening while shaving and can't bring myself to hit pause.
Lawrence Wright
To the raging controversies of the day, Sam Harris adds a voice of civility and reason.
Cass Sunstein
Sam Harris is tremendous at his job; sharp, skeptical in just the best sense, and full of curiosity and openness. He's a terrific questioner, and he greatly enlivens and improves public discourse.”
Adam Grant
Sam Harris is a true public intellectual: he thinks deeply about a wide range of issues and engages fearlessly with controversial topics and unpopular opinions. You don't have to agree with him to learn from him—I always come away from his show with new insights and new questions.
Jared Diamond
In the huge world of interviewers, Sam Harris stands out at the top for his probing questions, and for his own thoughtful views.
Andrew Sullivan
There is no podcast that approaches the intellectual rigor and open mindedness of Sam Harris' Making Sense. It's a regular dose of sane, patient reason and dialogue. In a tribalized world, it reveres the individual, inquisitive mind. And Sam has some balls to talk honestly where so many others won't.
Kirkus Reviews
2020-04-26
The text version of the popular, hyperarticulate, interviewed-based podcast.
So much of public debate in America, circa 2020, takes one of two forms: people arguing in order to generate controversy or conversations in which the interviewer is little more than a set piece for an unchallenged monologue. Harris aims for something eminently more useful. This lightly edited sampling of his podcast of the same name includes long-form interviews with scholars and intellectuals on a range of topics. Whether the discussion is about artificial intelligence, the future capacities of knowledge, politics, philosophy, intuition, history (philosopher Thomas Metzinger shares experiences from post–World War II Germany that are hard to look away from), religion, reason, or the nature of consciousness, Harris grounds lofty discussions with concrete examples and his gift for analogy. Few of the interviewees are household names—perhaps aside from psychologist Daniel Kahneman and Timothy Snyder—but readers will not question their credentials or motives. If you’re bright, well read, and secure in yourself, you don’t mind having your arguments examined, even by thinkers with the intellectual chops to poke holes in the fabric of your life’s work. Case in point: The interview with physics professor David Deutsch contains the guest’s criticism of the host’s self-described “cherished” thesis from Harris’ book The Moral Landscape. This critique wasn’t spontaneous; Deutsch had initiated a private conversation, and Harris asked for permission to press record. This speaks to the author’s agenda: free and open debate, in the best sense of the word. Nonacademics may hit intellectual potholes when encountering words like epiphenomenalism and panpsychist and, to be sure, this is no breezy read. But the book’s advantage over the podcast is that readers can linger as they need to and cherry-pick interviews at will.
Recommended for anyone who wants to spend time with intelligent minds wrestling not with each other but with understanding.
