Making Sense: Conversations on Consciousness, Morality, and the Future of Humanity

Religious skeptic Harris (coauthor, The Four Horsemen) challenges a wide range of political, spiritual, and cultural orthodoxies in this greatest-hits selection from his podcast Making Sense. In his favorite discussions (updated with “many small amendments and clarifications”) from the podcast’s six-year history, Harris displays his skills as an interviewer and conversationalist capable of clarifying complex ideas and engaging scholars from diverse backgrounds and fields of study on their areas of expertise. Highlights include a conversation with Swedish philosopher and physicist Nick Bostrom (Superintelligence) about existential risk, the Cold War, and nuclear deterrence; Harris’s efforts to create a working, contemporary definition of racism and with economist Glenn C. Loury (coauthor, Race, Incarceration, and American Values); and a discussion with biologist and MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Robert Sapolsky (Behave) about the evolution of the brain and the human capacity for good and evil. The result is a collection full of stimulating, nuanced, and deeply informed discussions on both abstract concepts (the future of humanity; the nature of reality) and hot-button current events (the #MeToo movement). Readers will appreciate this accessible introduction to the work of some of today’s most cutting-edge thinkers. Agent: John Brockman, Brockman, Inc. (Aug.)