Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
#341 — Gaza & Global Order
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about the events of October 7th and the resulting war in Ga...
#340 — The Bright Line Between Good and Evil
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks about the ongoing war in Gaza, the global rise of antisemitism, and the enduring p...
#339 — The Infernal Logic of Jihad
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Graeme Wood about the October 7th atrocities in Israel, the unfolding war in ...
#338 — The Sin of Moral Equivalence
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all fu...
#337 — The Future of Psychedelic Medicine
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jeannie Fontana and Robin Carhart-Harris about the TREAT Initiative in Califo...
#336 — The Roots of Identity Politics
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yascha Mounk about identity politics. They discuss Yascha’s concept of the ...
#335 — A Postmortem on My Response to Covid
22 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all fu...
#334 — The Low-Trust Society
18 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Brooks about the state of American democracy and the liberal world orde...
#333 — Sanity Check on Climate Change
05 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Chris Field about climate change and its consequences. They discuss skepticis...
#332 — Can We Contain Artificial Intelligence?
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Mustafa Suleyman about his new book, “The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, a...
#331 — A Golden Age for Assholes
20 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all fu...
#330 — The Doomsday Machine
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Carl Robichaud about the ongoing threat of nuclear war. They discuss the film...
#329 — What Happened to the Republican Party?
12 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Bret Stephens about the current state of the Republican Party. They discuss t...
#328 — Health & Longevity
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Peter Attia about his book, “Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.” ...
#327 — Transformative Experiences
21 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with L.A. Paul about the nature of transformative experiences. They discuss how ce...
#326 — AI & Information Integrity
06 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Nina Schick about generative AI and information integrity. They discuss the c...
#325 — A Few Thoughts About RFK Jr.
03 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris discusses Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent appearances on other podcasts. If the Making Sen...
#324 — Debating the Future of AI
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Marc Andreessen about the future of artificial intelligence (AI). They discus...
#323 — Science & Survival
22 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Martin Rees about the importance of science and scientific institutions. They...
Making Sense of Meditation | Episode 10 of The Essential Sam Harris
18 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we traverse a decade of Sam’s conversations on the topic of meditation. We star...
#322 — Predicting Reality
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Andy Clark about the predictive brain, embodied cognition, and the extended m...
#321 — Reckoning with Parfit
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Edmonds about the life and philosophy of Derek Parfit. They discuss Par...
Making Sense of Death | Episode 9 of The Essential Sam Harris
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore Sam’s conversations about the phenomenon of death. We begin with an in...
#320 — Constructing Self and World
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Shamil Chandaria about how the brain constructs a vision of the self and the ...
#319 — The Digital Multiverse
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Auerbach about the problematic structure of online networks. They discu...
Making Sense of Social Media and the Information Landscape | Episode 8 of The Essential Sam Harris
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we examine a series of Sam’s conversations centered around social media’s impac...
#318 — Physics & Philosophy
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Tim Maudlin about the foundations of physics and metaphysics. They talk about...
#317 — What Do We Know About Our Minds?
20 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Paul Bloom about the state of psychological science. They discuss fiction as ...
#316 — Self-Defense: Reality and Fantasy
14 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Matt Thornton about his new book, “The Gift of Violence: Practical Knowledg...
Making Sense of Existential Threat and Nuclear War | Episode 7 of The Essential Sam Harris
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we examine the topic of existential threat, focusing in particular on the subject o...
#315 — The Great Derangement
07 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Tim Urban about his new book, “What’s Our Problem: A Self-Help Book for S...
#314 — The Cancellation of J.K. Rowling
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about the new podcast series she hosts and produced, “Th...
#313 — Apocalypse
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Bart D. Ehrman about the prophecies contained in the book of Revelation. They...
Making Sense of Belief and Unbelief | Episode 6 of The Essential Sam Harris
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we examine a series of Sam’s conversations centered around religion, atheism, and...
#312 — The Trouble with AI
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Stuart Russell and Gary Marcus about recent developments in artificial intell...
#311 — Did SARS-CoV-2 Escape from a Lab?
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Matt Ridley and Alina Chan about the origins of the COVID pandemic. They disc...
Making Sense of Free Will | Episode 5 of The Essential Sam Harris
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we examine the timeless question of “free will”: what constitutes it, what is m...
#310 — Social Media & Public Trust
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Bari Weiss, Michael Shellenberger, and Renee DiResta about the release of “...
Making Sense of Encounters With Violence | Episode 4 of The Essential Sam Harris
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode centers around the specter of violence and surfaces some of Sam’s most controversial ...
#309 — Vulnerability, Politics, and Moral Worth
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Martha C. Nussbaum about her philosophical work. They discuss the relevance o...
#308 — The Long Game
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Robert Waldinger about the Harvard Study of Adult Development. They discuss t...
Making Sense of Foundations of Morality | Episode 3 of The Essential Sam Harris
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we try to trace morality to its elusive foundations. Throughout the compilation we ...
#307 — Twitter, Elon, & Free Speech
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris discusses Elon Musk's behavior on Twitter and the illusion of "free-speech absolutism." I...
Making Sense of Consciousness | Episode 2 of The Essential Sam Harris
15 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics t...
#306 — Psychedelics & Mortality
13 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Roland Griffiths about psychedelics and mortality. They discuss the current s...
#305 — Moral Knowledge
08 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Erik Hoel about the nature of moral truth. They discuss the connection betwee...
#304 — Why I Left Twitter
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris explains why he deleted his Twitter account. He then speaks with Cal Newport about the fr...
Making Sense of Artificial Intelligence | Episode 1 of The Essential Sam Harris
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Filmmaker Jay Shapiro has produced a new series of audio documentaries, exploring the major topics t...
#303 — The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried
15 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris discusses the recent Sam Bankman-Fried fiasco, the collapse of FTX, and the future of Eff...
#302 — Science & Civilization
11 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about his new book, Starry Messenger. They discuss what m...
#301 — The Politics of Unreality: Ukraine and Nuclear Risk
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Timothy Snyder about the ongoing war in Ukraine. They discuss the effect of R...
#300 — A Tale of Cancellation
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Meg Smaker about the controversy around her documentary, "The Unredacted (Jih...
#299 — Steps in the Right Direction
03 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Russ Roberts about decision-making and the nature of moral progress. They dis...
#298 — Leaving the Faith (Rebroadcast)
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yasmine Mohammed about her book Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Rad...
#297 — Preparing for the End
23 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with BJ Miller and Shoshana Berger about preparing for death. They discuss the dif...
#296 — Repairing Our Country
13 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jonah Goldberg about the state of American politics and civil society. They d...
#295 — Philosophy and the Good Life
09 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks to Kieran Setiya about the relevance of philosophy to living a good life. They dis...
#294 — Status Games
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Will Storr about the role that status plays in human life and culture. They t...
#293 — What I Really Think About Trump and Media Bias
25 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris responds to a controversy over a recent podcast appearance. If the Making Sense podcast l...
#292 — How Much Does the Future Matter?
14 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with William MacAskill about his new book, What We Owe the Future. They discuss t...
#291 — Where is Happiness?
28 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Arthur C. Brooks about what it takes to build a good life. They discuss the p...
#290 — What Went Wrong?
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Marc Andreessen about the current state of Internet technology and culture. T...
#289 — Time Management for Mortals
18 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris presents an unconventional perspective on time management from Oliver Burkeman. Rather th...
#288 — The End of Global Order
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Peter Zeihan and Ian Bremmer about Peter's new book, The End of the World is ...
#287 — Why Wealth Matters
05 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Morgan Housel about the psychology of money and investing. They discuss how p...
#286 — The Paradox of Psychedelics
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris shares an audio essay exploring how psychedelics are, for many, the only way to glimpse "...
#285 — American Division
24 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David French about forces that are pulling American society apart. They discu...
#284 — The Funny Business
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Judd Apatow about his career in comedy. They discuss his new documentary on G...
#283 — Gun Violence in America
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Graeme Wood about the problem of gun violence in the aftermath of the mass sh...
#282 — Do You Really Have a Self?
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jay Garfield about the illusion of the self. They discuss the default sense o...
#281 — Western Culture and Its Discontents
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about his new book, “The War on the West.” They discuss th...
#280 — The Future of Artificial Intelligence
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Eric Schmidt about the ways artificial intelligence is shifting the foundatio...
#279 — The Rules of the Stage
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Ricky Gervais discuss the infamous Oscar slap. We’re excited to announce the launch...
#278 — The Man Who Will Be King
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks to Graeme Wood about Muhammed bin Salman, the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. They d...
#277 — How Does the War in Ukraine End?
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Ian Bremmer about the ongoing war in Ukraine. They discuss the current state ...
#276 — Defending the Global Order
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about the wider implications of Russia’s war of conquest ...
#275 — The Russian War in Ukraine
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Garry Kasparov about Putin’s war of aggression in Ukraine. They discuss Put...
Absolutely Mental Season 3
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam shares an episode from the third season of Absolutely Mental, his audio series with Ricky Gervai...
Special Episode: Recipes for Future Plagues
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the podcast, Rob Reid and Kevin Esvelt discuss USAID’s new “Deep VZN” progr...
#274 — The Future of American Democracy
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum, David Frum, Barton Gellman, and George Packer about the ongoi...
#273 — Joe Rogan and the Ethics of Apology
07 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam responds to the controversy over his friend Joe Rogan's use of the N-word and his subsequent pub...
Vaccine Mandates, transgender athletes, billionaires… (AMA #19)
31 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Questions: What is your position on vaccine mandates, school closures, etc.? Do you think painful me...
#272 — On Disappointing My Audience
11 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Sam discusses some of the topics he has and hasn't covered, to the disappointment of many Making Sen...
#271 — Earning to Give
24 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Sam Bankman-Fried about effective altruism. T...
#270 — What Have We Learned from the Pandemic?
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the lessons of the COVID pandemic. They discuss our...
#269 — Deep Time
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Oliver Burkeman about our relationship to time. They discuss the perils of ef...
#268 — The Limits of Self-Knowledge
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Stephen Fleming about the neuroscience of self-awareness. They discuss the na...
#267 — The Kingdom of Sleep
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Matthew Walker about the nature and importance of sleep. They discuss sleep a...
#266 — The Limits of Pleasure
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Paul Bloom about the role that pain and suffering play in living a good life....
#265 — The Religion of Anti-Racism
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about his new book “Woke Racism: How a New Religion has Betr...
#264 — Consciousness and Self (Rebroadcast)
21 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Anil Seth about the scientific study of consciousness, where consciousness em...
#263 — The Paradox of Death
18 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris reflects on the subjective continuity of consciousness, the nature of identity, and the p...
#262 — The Future of American Democracy
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Yang about the state of American democracy. They discuss Andrew’s ru...
#261 — Belief & Identity
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jonas Kaplan about the neuroscience of belief change. They discuss the illuso...
Absolutely Mental Season Two
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam shares a clip from the second season of Absolutely Mental, his audio series with Ricky Gervais. ...
Ask Me Anything #18
20 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Questions answered: Why won’t you discuss COVID vaccines and Ivermectin with Bret Weinstein on the...
#260 — The Second Plane
09 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris recalls his experience of September 11th, 2001, and considers the future of American fore...
#259 — The Reckoning to Come
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Balaji Srinivasan about several civilizational challenges and possible paths ...
#258 — The Fall of Afghanistan
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Peter Bergen about the US exit from Afghanistan, the resurgence of the Taliba...
#257 — The State of the World
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Dambisa Moyo about the state of the world. They discuss public goods, economi...