Activity Overview
Episode publication activity over the past year
Ask Me Anything #17
08 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the podcast, Sam takes your questions. He begins by addressing the blowback that ...
#256 — A Contagion of Bad Ideas
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Eric Topol about vaccine hesitancy and related misinformation. They discuss t...
#255 — The Future of Intelligence
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jeff Hawkins about the nature of intelligence. They discuss how the neocortex...
#254 — The Mating Strategies of Earthlings
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Buss about the differential mating strategies of men and women. They di...
#253 — Corporate Courage
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jason Fried about the recent controversy over the “no politics” policy at...
#252 — Are We Alone in the Universe?
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Neil deGrasse Tyson about our place in the universe. They discuss our current...
#251 — Corporate Cowardice
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Antonio García-Martínez about his recent firing at Apple. They discuss his ...
#250 — Broken Conversations
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jesse Singal about a variety of controversial topics. They discuss fragmentat...
#249 — Distance & Arrival
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and David Whyte further explore his work in his book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishmen...
#248 — Order & Freedom
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Michele Gelfand about the difference between tight and loose cultures. They d...
Special Episode: Engineering the Apocalypse
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this nearly 4-hour SPECIAL EPISODE, Rob Reid delivers a 100-minute monologue (broken up into 4 se...
#247 — Constructing Minds
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Lisa Feldman Barrett about the origins and function of the human brain. They ...
#246 — Police Training & Police Misconduct
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Rener Gracie about police procedure and about the special relevance of Brazil...
#245 — Can We Talk About Scary Ideas?
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Peter Singer, Francesca Minerva, and Jeff McMahan about the newly launched Jo...
#244 — Food, Climate, and Pandemic Risk
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Bruce Friedrich and Liz Specht from the Good Food Institute about the way the...
#243 — A Few Points of Confusion
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all fu...
#242 — Psychedelics and the Self
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with James Fadiman about the psychedelic experience. They discuss who should and s...
#241 — Final Thoughts on Free Will
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris presents his full argument on the illusoriness of free will—and explores its ethical an...
#240 — The Boundaries of Self
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam speaks with poet David Whyte about his new and on-going series for the Waking Up app, based on h...
#239 — Yet Another Call from Ricky Gervais
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ricky Gervais calls Sam to ask if AI will replace comedians. They also discuss the implications of n...
#238 — How to Build a Universe
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Frank Wilczek about the fundamental nature of reality. They discuss the diffe...
#237 — Another Call from Ricky Gervais
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ricky Gervais calls to discuss Sam's monster joke from their last conversation and then other things...
#236 — Rebooting New York City
11 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with mayoral candidate, Andrew Yang, about the future of New York City. If the Mak...
#235 — A Call from Ricky Gervais
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ricky Gervais calls Sam to ask why we dream? They discuss why puns are terrible and breakdown some o...
#234 — The Divided Mind
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Iain McGilchrist about the differences between the right and left hemispheres...
#233 — The Groves of Misinformation
02 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Zeynep Tufekci about the problem of misinformation and group-think. They disc...
#232 — Inequality and Revolution
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jack Goldstone about the rise in social inequality and political instability ...
#231 — Crossing the Abyss
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with General Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell about the radicalization of the ...
#230 — An Insurrection of Lies
11 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris discusses two dangerous misconceptions about the siege of the Capitol. If the Making Sens...
#229 — A Few Thoughts for a New Year
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris analyzes a few disturbing trends and shares his hopes for 2021. If the Making Sense podca...
#228 — Doing Good
14 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Will MacAskill about how to do the most good in the world. They discuss the "...
#227 — Knowing the Mind
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stephen Laureys interviews Sam Harris about meditation practice and the scientific study of the mind...
Making Sense with Sam Harris
07 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Join Sam Harris as he explores some of the most important questions about the human mind, society, a...
#226 — The Price of Distraction
27 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Adam Gazzaley about the way our technology is changing us. They discuss our l...
#225 — Republic of Lies
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris discusses President Trump's failure to concede the 2020 presidential election. If the Mak...
#224 — The Key to Trump's Appeal
03 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris describes his new understanding of why people support President Trump. If the Making Sens...
#223 — A Conversation with Andrew Sullivan
30 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Andrew Sullivan sing the praises of President Trump. If the Making Sense podcast logo...
#222 — A Pandemic of Incompetence
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss the breakdown o...
#221 — Success, Failure, & the Common Good
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Michael Sandel about the problem with meritocracy . They discuss the dark sid...
#220 - The Information Apocalypse
17 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Nina Schick about the growing epidemic of misinformation and disinformation. ...
#219 — The Power of Compassion
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with James R. Doty about his memoir “Into the Magic Shop.” They discuss the si...
#218 — Welcome to the Cult Factory
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Tristan Harris about the ways in which social...
#217 — The New Religion of Anti-Racism
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with John McWhorter about race, racism, and “anti-racism” in America. They dis...
#216 — A Conversation with Graeme Wood
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Graeme Wood about the breakdown of social order in the U.S. They discuss the ...
#215 — A Conversation with David Miliband
21 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Miliband about his work with the International Rescue Committee. They d...
#214 — A Conversation with Siddhartha Mukherjee
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Siddhartha Mukherjee about our ongoing failure to adequately respond to the C...
#213 — The Worst Epidemic
04 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Gabriel Dance about the global epidemic of child sexual abuse. They discuss h...
#212 — A Conversation with Kathryn Paige Harden
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Kathryn Paige Harden about public controversy over group differences in trait...
#211 — The Nature of Human Nature
17 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Robert Plomin about the role that DNA plays in determining who we are. They d...
#210 — The Logic of Doomsday
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with William J. Perry and Lisa Perry about the ever-present threat of nuclear war....
#209 — A Good Life
03 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Scott Barry Kaufman about human well-being. They discuss intelligence and cre...
#208 — Existential Risk
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Toby Ord about preserving the long term future of humanity. They discuss mora...
#207 — Can We Pull Back From The Brink?
13 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam discusses the recent social protests and civil unrest, in light of what we know about racism and...
#206 — A Conversation with David Frum
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with David Frum about the shifting political landscape. They discuss the seculariz...
#205 — The Failure of Meritocracy
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Daniel Markovits about the problems with meritocracy. They discuss the nature...
#204 — A Conversation with Jonathan Haidt
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jonathan Haidt about the maintenance of a healthy society. They discuss the p...
#203 — A Conversation with Caitlin Flanagan
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Caitlin Flanagan about her cancer recurrence and the response to her recent a...
#202 — A Conversation with Andrew Yang
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Yang about the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss the future of the middl...
#201 — A Conversation with Yuval Noah Harari
01 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yuval Noah Harari about the Covid-19 pandemic and its future implications. Th...
#200 — Creatures of Habit
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with James Clear about habit formation. They discuss the difference between creati...
#199 — A Conversation with Caitlin Flanagan
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Caitlin Flanagan discuss the ethics of abortion, the fact that universities with imme...
#198 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom discuss the false tradeoff between the economy and public health, putting ...
#197 — A Conversation with Caitlin Flanagan
12 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Caitlin Flanagan. They discuss the different sorts of experiences people are ...
#196 — The Science of Happiness
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Laurie Santos about the scientific study of happiness. They discuss people’...
#195 — Social Cohesion is Everything
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with General Stanley McChrystal and Chris Fussell about the Covid-19 pandemic. The...
#194 — The New Future of Work
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Matt Mullenweg about the evolution of distributed work. They discuss the bene...
#193 — Meditation in an Emergency
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks about social contagion and about the importance of understanding one's own mind in...
#192 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the psychology of adapting to the coronavirus pandemic, the di...
#191 — Early Thoughts on a Pandemic
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Amesh Adalja about the spreading coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the conta...
#190 — How Should We Respond to Coronavirus?
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the likely e...
#189 — Wealth & Happiness
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Scott Galloway about the connection between wealth and happiness. They discus...
#188 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the virtues of President Trump, the campaign prospects of Bloo...
#187 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about the epidemic of child sexual abuse, the ethics of loyalty, eug...
#186 — The Bomb
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Fred Kaplan about the ever-present threat of nuclear war. They discuss the hi...
#185 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom speak about "Trump Derangement Syndrome," inequality, the relationship bet...
#184 — The Conversational Nature of Reality
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with poet David Whyte about the importance of work and relationships, the balance ...
#183 — A Conversation with Paul Bloom
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris and Paul Bloom discuss topics in the news including the tragic death of Kobe Bryant. They...
#182 — Unlearning Race
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Thomas Chatterton Williams about the reality and politics of race. They discu...
#181 — The Illusory Self
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Richard Lang about how to experience the world beyond the illusion of the sel...
#180 — Sex & Power
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Meghan Daum about her book “The Problem with Everything.” They discuss co...
#179 — The Unquiet Mind
17 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Judson Brewer about addiction, craving, and mindfulness. They discuss the nat...
#178 — The Reality Illusion
11 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam and Annaka Harris speak with Donald Hoffman about his book “The Case Against Reality.” They ...
#177 — Psychedelic Science
02 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Roland Griffiths about the current state of research on psychedelics. They di...
#176 — Knowledge & Redemption
23 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Lynn Novick about her four-part documentary "College Behind Bars." The film f...
#175 — Leaving the Faith
11 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Yasmine Mohammed about her book "Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radic...
#174 — Life & Mind
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins. They discuss the strangeness of the “gene’s-eye view" of...
#173 — Anti-Semitism and Its Discontents
28 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Bari Weiss about her book “How to Fight anti-Semitism.” They discuss the ...
#172 — Among the Deplorables
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Andrew Marantz about his book “Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopia...
#171 — Escaping a Christian Cult
08 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Megan Phelps-Roper about her book "Unfollow: A Memoir of Loving and Leaving t...
#170 — The Great Uncoupling
02 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Andrew McAfee about the history of human progress and the modern uncoupling o...
#169 — Omens of a Race War
20 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Kathleen Belew about the white power movement in the United States. They disc...
#168 — Mind, Space, & Motion
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Barbara Tversky about how our senses of space and motion underlie our capacit...
#167 — A Few Thoughts on White Supremacy
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris addresses listener concerns that he uses a "double standard" to evaluate the relative thr...
#166 — The Plague Years
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Matt McCarthy about his book "Superbugs: The Race to Stop an Epidemic." They ...
#165 — Journey into Wokeness
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Caitlin Flanagan about her work as a writer. They discuss controversies on so...
#164 — Cause & Effect
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Judea Pearl about his work on the mathematics of causality and artificial int...
#163 — Ricky Gervais
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Ricky Gervais. They discuss fame, the effect of social media, the changing st...
#162 — Medical Intelligence
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Eric Topol about the way artificial intelligence can improve medicine. They t...
#161 — Rise & Fall
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Jared Diamond about the rise and fall of civilizations. They discuss politica...
#160 — The Revenge of History
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sam Harris speaks with Michael Weiss and Yascha Mounk about the state of global politics. They discu...