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The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 200
EAN: 9780393327656
ISBN: 0393327655
Label: W. W. Norton
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: October 10, 2005
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Studio: W. W. Norton
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Editorial Review:
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
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."
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Well worth it - even after reading Dawkins, Dennett and Hitchens
I wasn't sure that it would be worth my time to read the fourth recent book on atheism. I'm glad I did.
The End of Faith adds many ideas and nuances to the conversation. This is especially true in the last two chapters, which other reviewers have found controversial, rambling, or babble, but I found thought-provoking. Harris acknowledges that there are not many answers. However, just as the last 2000 years have seen astronomy develop from positing the earth being the center of ... Read More
Rating: - Sam Harris presages Sarah Palin.
Sam Harris writes: "In our next presidential election, an actor who reads his Bible would almost certainly defeat a rocket scientist who does not." If Stephen Prothero is correct in his book "Religious Literacy", which concludes that Americans are illiterate about their own religion, then any "implicit" presidential requirement of reading the Bible would seem superfluous. Prothero, a professor of Religion, writes that Americans are undeniably religious but also profoundly illiterate about their own ... Read More
Rating: - A Thought Provoking Outlook on World Events and Religious Attitudes
Sam Harris presents his rationale that the world faces an equally dangerous yet wholly unexpected vulnerability from religious moderates as it does from extremists. Harris asserts that moderate beliefs cause the masses to refrain from attacking fundamentally flawed religious beliefs based on the notion that certain values are perceived as too sacred to question. If you are an atheist looking to bolster you views, an agnostic wishing to amplify your curiosity, or a member of any religion looking to ... Read More
Rating:  - 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.
Rating: - 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 ... Read More
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