Nonfiction
It has all the things I love in writing:
1. Big. Fucking. Words. (Or words not every person knows)
2. Sentences that take up halves or wholes of pages.
3. A topic and diction/syntax for intellectuals. Is it obnoxious? Who gives a shit?
4. The challenge itself to the Political Correctness Disease™.
A great book for that topic: "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within", by Bruce Bawer.
The Premise: Sam Harris, at the forefront of the "New Wave of Atheism", as one of the Four Horsemen (Hitchens, Dennet, Dawkins as the other three), is one of Islam's greatest antagonists. Whilst Hitchens argues against religion itself, Dawkins advocates for science above religion and complete separation, and Dennet for skepticism and philosophical replacements of religious influence, Harris is aiming directly for Islam (And spirituality without religion). In this book, Harris begins his greatest and (I think) most powerful piece: The absolute rejection of faith itself, and its indemnity.
Hey, that's what the title says!
It is in this that Harris begins his book, he begins with an anecdote of the last day of a suicide bomber, who succeeded in his attempted jihad against "infidels" in his native country. Harris (and I), however do not find this to be the most horrifying fact of the story, for outside of the actual event, the family and close friends of the bomber laud his actions, claiming he has "Sent the infidels to Hell", and has "honored his family and religion".
Harris continues throughout the book to provide examples of how refusal to address the root of the problem, faith itself, has led multiple countries to the brink of theocracy and medieval brutality. Harris explicitly states that it is this/these belief(s) that embolden jihadists and allow them to "justify" their actions.
Harris, however, also addresses another problem he believes to be filling the niche of Fundamentalist Islam in the United States: Fundamentalist Christianity (The Christian Right). He addresses specific examples of their recalcitrance on affairs the majority of other developed countries have already passed with success and without major repercussion, gay marriage, Stem Cell research, and attitudes towards/actions taken to prevent HIV/AIDS of and by the Christian Right, and the Islamic Right.
Harris, a neuroscientist, whose major works in psychology have actually been the live-action monitoring of brain activity during moments of faith/spirituality, and certainty/uncertainty between religious and non-religious individuals, defines these two states as having similar physical abnormalities to associated reward and egocentric regions of the brain, and that these states "allows otherwise normal human beings to reap the fruits of madness and consider them holy." In effect, Harris claims that it is faith that allows these people to commit these crimes, through motivation, and ignorance of any facts counter to their beliefs.
It involves crushing balls.
I'm sorry, you didn't need to know that.
IT INVOLVES CRUSHING TESTICLES.
WITH A HAMMER.
I regret nothing.
This quote is a notion shared by many in this position throughout the culture, and those beneath it. Acts of terrorism are not just a side-effect of the conquest, they are a requirement.
I mean, look at that face down there.
Look at it.
FUCKING LOOK AT IT.
Resist it, I dare you.
I give it 5 arbitrary things out of 5 arbitrary things.
2. Sentences that take up halves or wholes of pages.
3. A topic and diction/syntax for intellectuals. Is it obnoxious? Who gives a shit?
4. The challenge itself to the Political Correctness Disease™.
A great book for that topic: "While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam is Destroying the West from Within", by Bruce Bawer.
The Premise: Sam Harris, at the forefront of the "New Wave of Atheism", as one of the Four Horsemen (Hitchens, Dennet, Dawkins as the other three), is one of Islam's greatest antagonists. Whilst Hitchens argues against religion itself, Dawkins advocates for science above religion and complete separation, and Dennet for skepticism and philosophical replacements of religious influence, Harris is aiming directly for Islam (And spirituality without religion). In this book, Harris begins his greatest and (I think) most powerful piece: The absolute rejection of faith itself, and its indemnity.
Hey, that's what the title says!
Religion:
In the aftermath of 9/11, Islam became a powerful scapegoat and fear usable as an excuse for any American intervention in Southwest Asia (The Middle East). Just as Reagan's "Welfare Queen" was a political euphemism for Hispanics (shown again and again to not be the largest receiving demographic), Bush's "Terrorist" was a political euphemism for Arabic People.It is in this that Harris begins his book, he begins with an anecdote of the last day of a suicide bomber, who succeeded in his attempted jihad against "infidels" in his native country. Harris (and I), however do not find this to be the most horrifying fact of the story, for outside of the actual event, the family and close friends of the bomber laud his actions, claiming he has "Sent the infidels to Hell", and has "honored his family and religion".
Harris continues throughout the book to provide examples of how refusal to address the root of the problem, faith itself, has led multiple countries to the brink of theocracy and medieval brutality. Harris explicitly states that it is this/these belief(s) that embolden jihadists and allow them to "justify" their actions.
Harris, however, also addresses another problem he believes to be filling the niche of Fundamentalist Islam in the United States: Fundamentalist Christianity (The Christian Right). He addresses specific examples of their recalcitrance on affairs the majority of other developed countries have already passed with success and without major repercussion, gay marriage, Stem Cell research, and attitudes towards/actions taken to prevent HIV/AIDS of and by the Christian Right, and the Islamic Right.
Harris, a neuroscientist, whose major works in psychology have actually been the live-action monitoring of brain activity during moments of faith/spirituality, and certainty/uncertainty between religious and non-religious individuals, defines these two states as having similar physical abnormalities to associated reward and egocentric regions of the brain, and that these states "allows otherwise normal human beings to reap the fruits of madness and consider them holy." In effect, Harris claims that it is faith that allows these people to commit these crimes, through motivation, and ignorance of any facts counter to their beliefs.
The Witch Trials and Holocaust via Religion
In a deviation from Harris' major drive (that many are afraid to actually agree with or individually push forth, par exemple: The Dutch Muhammed "Crisis"), Harris posits that the influence of Christianity throughout the ages, the Inquisition, the Witch trials in Germany, and all persecutions of Jews, he claims is a result of the historic and indelible Antisemitism both Islam and Christianity share. And if you beautiful people have a memory long enough to remember your history and you didn't skip your history classes (Of the youth under 24 years of age surveyed in Germany in 2005, 50% didn't know what the Holocaust was), this concept is axiomatic.
There are gruesome details not needed to be mentioned in this review, i.e. the torture and killing methods used on the "witches" during the trials.It involves crushing balls.
I'm sorry, you didn't need to know that.
IT INVOLVES CRUSHING TESTICLES.
WITH A HAMMER.
I regret nothing.
Terror:
- Terrorism is actually a major reason Sam Harris exploded onto the scene in the New Wave of Atheism, after 9/11, Dawkins, Dennet, and Hitchens joined him breaching the public anti-atheism barrier of the U.S. with their unadulterated criticism of Islam, finally becoming "relevant" to the (relatively) uninformed American public.
In the next section of his book, Harris expounds on the effects and implications, the motivation and community, and lastly the reasons of terror in the modern Islamic world. Harris continues his assault on faith vicariously through its physical manifestations in the circumstances of "terrorism". Just like the opening anecdote, Harris continues providing examples and explaining multiple occasions where faith has both justified and motivated acts of terror and crimes against humanity through both scripture(s) and cultural manifestations of the religion and faith's results of them.
Unfortunately, Acts of Terrorism are very hard to prevent just on the basis of a religious denomination, as religion can be of any skin color or appearance, Harris further explains in his debate with Bruce Schneier, "To Profile or Not to Profile".
A majority of the "Terror" subtext of the book can be attributed to the "Religion" subtext, however, this section is almost entirely about Islam and its attacks on other cultures. In it, Harris calls Islam the "cult of death", believing its end goal to be "Spread Islam at all costs", which, unfortunately, is exemplified quite often by higher-powers, specifically the late Ayatollah Khomeini, of the Islamic culture:
Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males, provided they are not disabled and incapacitated, to prepare themselves for the conquest of other [countries] so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world. But those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world...Those who know nothing of Islam pretend that Islam counsels against war. Those [who say this] are witless. Islam says: Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all! Does this mean that Muslims should sit back until they are devoured [by the unbelievers]?
Islam says: Kill them [the non-Muslims], put them to the sword and scatter [their armies]. Does this mean sitting back until [non-Muslims] overcome us? Islam says: Kill in the service of Allah those who may want to kill you! Does this mean that we should surrender to the enemy? Islam says: Whatever good there is exists thanks to the sword and in the shadow of the sword! People cannot be made obedient except with the sword! The sword is the key to Paradise, which can be opened only for Holy Warriors! There are hundreds of other [Koranic] psalms and Hadiths [sayings of the Prophet] urging Muslims to value war and to fight. Does all that mean that Islam is a religion that prevents men from waging war? I spit upon those foolish souls who make such a claim.
This quote is a notion shared by many in this position throughout the culture, and those beneath it. Acts of terrorism are not just a side-effect of the conquest, they are a requirement.
The Future of Reason:
As almost always in books of nonfiction such as this, there are endings and epilogues giving hope to the reader about the results of the history written in the books. This subtext refers specifically to the ideal future almost every humanist looks forward to. One without anachronisms of rituals, beliefs, and cultural practices, one without brutality towards others who disagree or are born a certain way, one without suppression of freedom; but one with science being the major advocate of the future of the human race, one with people accepting others for how they were born, one with critical thinking to be the final objective of education, one with everyone born has the equal opportunity to become something grand, one with religion not being justification for any behavior, and no ability to indemnify behavior that is conducted in its name, and finally, one with freedom from all the horrors we've committed on ourselves, that we try to rationalize with irrationality that we are not born with, but with what we can choose to believe out of fear, out of hatred, or out of oppression, a future without religion is only one step, but may be one of the most crucial.
And Lastly: My Bit:
I have to say, this book really got to me, I mean, any book that requires me to pull out of dictionary is a book I'll remember for a long time, as well as a book I pay special attention to.
I have to say I enjoy Sam's work pretty well, if you get hooked onto one of his pieces, it's only inevitable you'll read and enjoy the others, it's ineluctable, don't resist.
I mean, look at that face down there.
Look at it.
FUCKING LOOK AT IT.
Resist it, I dare you.
I give it 5 arbitrary things out of 5 arbitrary things.
 |
| Dr. Sam Harris |
About the Author:
Mr. Harris is a cofounder and the CEO of Project Reason, a nonprofit foundation devoted to spreading scientific knowledge and secular values in society. He received a degree in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in neuroscience from UCLA.And my own personal note, one of my favorite authors, so far, I've read:
I recommend all, and may review "Free Will" and "Lying", if I do,
it'll be in one post, since they were both rather short compared to the first.
Witty Catchphrase
For Dan
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