Movies
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Do You Trust this Computer?
Science fiction has long anticipated the rise of machine intelligence, and today a new generation of self-learning computers has begun to reshape every aspect of our lives. Will A.I. usher in an age of unprecedented potential, or prove to be our final invention?
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Bo Burnham: Make Happy
Combining his trademark wit and self-deprecating humor with original music, Bo Burnham offers up his unique twist on life in this stand-up special about life, death, sexuality, hypocrisy, mental illness and Pringles cans.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
It's wonderful. And the final song is one of the best things I have ever seen.
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The Woman Who Wasn't There
Tania Head was the ultimate 9/11 survivor. She had the grimmest story. None of it was true.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
"The Woman Who Wasn't There" (available on Netflix) is worth watching -- a documentary on an extraordinary pathological liar.
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Zero Days
Alex Gibney explores the phenomenon of Stuxnet, a self-replicating computer virus discovered in 2010 by international IT experts. Evidently commissioned by the US and Israeli governments, this malware was designed to specifically sabotage Iran’s nuclear programme. However, the complex computer worm ended up not only infecting its intended target but also spreading uncontrollably.
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Citizenfour
In June 2013, Laura Poitras and reporter Glenn Greenwald flew to Hong Kong for the first of many meetings with Edward Snowden. She brought her camera with her.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
The new film on Snowden, #CitizenFour, is mesmerizing. Well worth seeing in the theater.
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The Look of Silence
A family that survives the genocide in Indonesia confronts the men who killed one of their brothers.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
The Look of Silence is an absolutely stunning film.
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Hotel Mumbai
Mumbai, India, November 26, 2008. While several terrorists spread hatred and death through the city, others attack the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. Both hotel staff and guests risk their lives, making unthinkable sacrifices to protect themselves and keep everyone safe while help arrives.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
"Hotel Mumbai" is an extremely powerful film. Worth seeing in a theater.
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Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
GOING CLEAR intimately profiles eight former members of the Church of Scientology, shining a light on how they attract true believers and the things they do in the name of religion.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
I highly recommend watching #GoingClear on HBO this week.
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Never Again Is Now
Directed by Ryan Cost, Nick Jones, Evelyn Markus. With Qanta Ahmed, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Michael Berenbaum, Ben Shapiro.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
This is a very powerful film about the recent rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Well worth seeing.
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They Shall Not Grow Old
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of Armistice Day, and the end of the war.
Books
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14
books
Sam Harris Book List - 14 Reads
Sam Harris book list of 14 reads that he enjoyed reading.
It includes non-fiction, motivational and biography books that Sam Harris loved the most.
Take a look at 14 Sam Harris recommended books!
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Sam Harris book list of 14 reads that he enjoyed reading.
It includes non-fiction, motivational and biography books that Sam Harris loved the most.
Take a look at 14 Sam Harris recommended books!
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10
books
Recommended Books Part 2
Books Sam is recommending or mentioning on the Making Sense Podcast - Part 2
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Books Sam is recommending or mentioning on the Making Sense Podcast - Part 2
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10
books
Recommended Books Part 1
Books Sam is recommending or mentioning on the Making Sense Podcast
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Books Sam is recommending or mentioning on the Making Sense Podcast
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5
books
5 Books Sam Harris Recommends
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
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The Madness of Crowds
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER'Douglas Murray fights the good fight for freedom of speech ... A truthful look at today's most divisive issues' – Jordan B. Peterson'[Murray's] latest book is beyond brilliant and should be read, must be read, by everyone' – Richard DawkinsIn his devastating new book The Madness of Crowds, Douglas Murray examines the twenty-first century's most divisive issues: sexuality, gender, technology and race. He reveals the astonishing new culture wars playing out in our workplaces, universities, schools and homes in the names of social justice, identity politics and 'intersectionality'.We are living through a postmodern era in which the grand narratives of religion and political ideology have collapsed. In their place have emerged a crusading desire to right perceived wrongs and a weaponization of identity, both accelerated by the new forms of social and news media. Narrow sets of interests now dominate the agenda as society becomes more and more tribal – and, as Murray shows, the casualties are mounting. Readers of all political persuasions cannot afford to ignore Murray's masterfully argued and fiercely provocative book, in which he seeks to inject some sense into the discussion around this generation's most complicated issues. He ends with an impassioned call for free speech, shared common values and sanity in an age of mass hysteria.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Douglas Murray's new book, "The Madness of Crowds," is fantastic. As I said in my blurb, "Reading it to the end, I felt as though I'd just drawn my first full breath in years...”
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Superintelligence
The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. Other animals have stronger muscles or sharper claws, but we have cleverer brains. If machine brains one day come to surpass human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become very powerful. As the fate of the gorillas now depends more on us humans than on the gorillas themselves, so the fate of our species then would come to depend on the actions of the machine superintelligence. But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move. Will it be possible to construct a seed AI or otherwise to engineer initial conditions so as to make an intelligence explosion survivable? How could one achieve a controlled detonation? To get closer to an answer to this question, we must make our way through a fascinating landscape of topics and considerations. Read the book and learn about oracles, genies, singletons; about boxing methods, tripwires, and mind crime; about humanity's cosmic endowment and differential technological development; indirect normativity, instrumental convergence, whole brain emulation and technology couplings; Malthusian economics and dystopian evolution; artificial intelligence, and biological cognitive enhancement, and collective intelligence.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
I’ve only recently begun to pay attention to the progress being made in artificial intelligence. The field is advancing faster than most people realise, and we seem to be headed for a precipice of sorts. Reading Bostrom’s book, you come away feeling that there may be no way to build machines that possess true “general intelligence” – that is, the ability to learn new concepts and apply them in unfamiliar contexts – without destroying ourselves in the process. You also get the sense that we will inevitably build such machines, unless we destroy ourselves some other way.
TV Shows
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Downton Abbey
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Receiving serious grief for admitting that I watched @DowntonAbbey. I'm pretty sure @jockowillink watches it at 4:30 am. Right, Jocko?
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Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
Leah Remini, along with high level former Scientology executives and Church members, explores individual accounts from ex-Church members and their families through meetings and interviews with Leah. Each episode features stories from former members whose lives have been affected by the Church's harmful practices, even well after they left the organization.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Leah Remini's show on Scientology is well worth watching
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Frontline
Since it began in 1983, Frontline has been airing public-affairs documentaries that explore a wide scope of the complex human experience. Frontline's goal is to extend the impact of the documentary beyond its initial broadcast by serving as a catalyst for change.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Great @frontlinepbs doc on the A.I. arms race between the U.S. and China
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The Vietnam War
An immersive 360-degree narrative telling the epic story of the Vietnam War as it has never before been told on film. Featuring testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, including many Americans who fought in the war and others who opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the winning and losing sides.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
And as you can hear in this conversation it fairly blew my mind, it is a really remarkable work. I really recommend you to watch these series, if you thought you knew something about the Vietnam War and how to get through it, I would even dare to say if you fought that war - there is something to be learned. (02 m 00 s).
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Westworld
A dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the evolution of sin. Set at the intersection of the near future and the reimagined past, it explores a world in which every human appetite, no matter how noble or depraved, can be indulged.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
This is where actually watching “Westworld” matters. The pleasure of entertainment aside, the makers of the series have produced a powerful work of philosophy. It’s one thing to sit in a seminar and argue about what it would mean, morally, if robots were conscious. It’s quite another to witness the torments of such creatures, as portrayed by actors such as Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton. You may still raise the question intellectually, but in your heart and your gut, you already know the answer.
Music
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Sevendust
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
@Sevendust... Trying to reach you guys about licensing some music. Big fan.
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Radiohead
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
And if I'm going to listen to music, I often just put on Spotify or something. I just have something that some AI somewhere is piping into my brain based on the few Radiohead songs I've selected.
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Podcasts
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Fresh Air
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
This report on the generic-drug industry is just astonishing (and not in a good way)
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The Fifth Column / Podcast
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
This is the best conversation about race I’ve ever heard. Bravo, gents.
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The Daily
Listen to The Daily episodes free, on demand. This is what the news should sound like. The biggest stories of our time, told by the best journalists in the world. Hosted by Michael Barbaro. Twenty minutes a day, five days a week, ready by 6 a.m. The easiest way to listen to podcasts on your iPhone, iPad, Android, PC, smart speaker – and even in your car. For free. Bonus and ad-free content available with Stitcher Premium.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
Great intro to @AndrewYang in today’s NYT Daily podcast.
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The Peter Attia Drive Podcast - Peter Attia
The Peter Attia Drive features guests and experts that offer advice and insight to help you optimize performance, health, longevity, critical thinking, and life. It’s hosted by Stanford M.D., TED speaker, and longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia, founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City.
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
This is a very important (and flabbergasting) episode of a great podcast....
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Dan Carlin's Hardcore History
In "Hardcore History" the very unconventional Dan Carlin takes his "Martian", outside-the-box way of thinking and applies it to the past. Was Alexander the Great as bad a person as Adolf Hitler? What would Apaches with modern weapons be like? Will our modern civilization ever fall like civilizations from past eras? This is a difficult-to-classify show that has a rather sharp edge. by Dan Carlin
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Sam Harris
Philosopher, Interviewer, Business Coach
I love this podcast. Carlin is not a professional historian, but he could well be the most engaging history professor on Earth. His series on the first world war is simply a masterpiece – made all the more impressive by the informal, meandering way he leads the listener from poignancy to horror and back again. We appear to be entering a new golden age of audio, and Carlin is doing some of the best work in this medium.
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