Post #2215320

2026-04-24 12:38 UTC

This would genuinely be a better book if Sam didn't feel the need to remind the reader every few pages that the notion of god is ridiculous or that reincarnation is a fantasy. It makes it feel unfocused and unprofessional. Less like a guide to spirituality for non believers and more like a rant against all sorts of religious beliefs with the occasional "Oh but you can do that too. So long as you don't believe its god" I do sympathize a bit in that I agree with what line hes wanting to toe between rational evidence discussion and experiential manual. He wants to write a book on the science of consciousness and also a guide on how and why we should meditate to experience a "higher self" without using any of the airy, woo-y language of traditional meditative schools. He's just too much of a dickhead to respect the ideas enough to properly secularize them.

Replies (1)

@Nagaram@hachyderm.io 2026-04-24 12:38

If you want to be an atheist and have good experiential meditative practices, I don't recommend Harris. I do recommend "Opening Awareness" by Charlie Awbrey. Its a very cut down guide to meditation and why with almost no Woo if that's a concern for you. I also recommend https://aroterlineage.org/ Its a website for Aro gTer Buddhism so it is a lot of Woo, but their meditation news letter is actually really good. You sign up for it and every week you get a new task to focus on while meditating until you eventually won't need it anymore. These are both recommendations from a good friend of mine and do a much better job of what Harris is trying to do since its not poisoned by his hatred of religion.

Open ##2215321