Sam Harris

So there's two levels to it.

I mean, one is I think you have to call a spade a spade when you're talking about how things actually work and what things are likely to happen or not.

But then you can recognize that people have very different life experiences.

And yeah, I mean, I think empathy and probably the better word for what I would hope to embody there is compassion, right?

Like really, you know...

to really wish people well, and to really wish strangers well, effortlessly wish them well.

I mean, to realize that there is no opposition between, at bottom, there's no real opposition between selfishness and selflessness because wise selfishness really takes into account other people's happiness.

I mean, do you wanna live in a society where you have everything, but most other people have nothing?

Or do you want to live in a society where you're surrounded by happy, creative, self-actualized people who are having their hopes and dreams realized?

I think it's obvious that the second society is much better, however much you can guard your good luck.

I agree with the first part.

So I haven't bought the myth that it's a truly representative democracy in the way that we might idealize.

And on some level, I mean, this is a different conversation, but on some level, I'm not even sure how much I think it should be.

I'm not sure we want, in the end, everyone's opinion given equal weight.

about just what we should do about anything.

And I include myself in that.

I mean, there are many topics around which

I don't deserve to have a strong opinion because I don't know what I'm talking about, right?

Or what I would be talking about if I had a strong opinion.

And I think we'll probably get to that, to some of those topics because I've declined to have certain conversations on my podcast just because I think I'm the wrong person to have that conversation, right?