![]() ![]() Yet, their brand of being “intellectual renegades” masks their baked-in, reactionary conservatism. They received a glowing write-up in the New York Times in 2018 and have continued to gain plaudits from the mainstream press and alternative media. This disconnect from reality in a desperate search for answers that satisfy the insensitive, inhumane, and downright insane is a hallmark of the Intellectual Dark Web (IDW), a cadre of writers, speakers, and “thought leaders” that includes Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, Ben Shapiro, and others. This kind of thinking underscores one of Harris’ central problems: his inability to tie much of what he’s thinking to actual, lived reality. For example, in The End of Faith, Harris creates the nearly unheard-of situation involving a Islamist terrorist bomb threat in Los Angeles where thousands would die unless someone was tortured for information. ![]() ![]() Specifically, I noticed his overreliance on “thought experiments,” which presuppose such a fantastical scenario that it makes his position on the issue seem more reasonable than it actually is. At some point, however, I began to see the cracks in his thinking. The neuroscientist, author, and podcaster had shaped my thinking on religion, science, and politics for nearly a decade. Actually, I was a bit of a Sam Harris apologist. I have a confession to make: I used to be a Sam Harris fan. Introduction: Confessions and Commendations ![]()
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