Bill's Comments

I have just finished Sam Harris' book, The End of Faith. It of course belongs with the other output from the so-called New Atheists, or as I term them, the Evangelical Atheists (EAs). However, much about the book is a marked departure from the usual polemics. Compared to Sam Harris, people such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, John Loftus, and Richard Carrier are more like rabid dogs, foaming at the mouth, and snapping at anything within reach. Harris has much to say, and though it may not all be accurate, he does it in a reasonable manner. One has the idea that he might actually be willing to discuss and reason with his opponents rather than subject them to some sort of ad hominum attack.

One of the more outstanding points in his book (and one that has apparently not set well with the other EAs) is that he is willing to consider that there may be something other than just materialism, that there may be things spiritual to consider. Another outstanding point and one he shares with Christopher Hitchens, is he is willing to tackle Islam as being what it is--a murderous political religion that is of necessity exactly that and not a "religion of peace." Harris' analysis is more thorough than that of Hitchens and certainly much more convincing.

There are places where his liberal political leanings show through, and to some degree I think they color his assessment of the role of religion in the US today. He does not really attack the Nazis, or the Communists (Stalin, Mao) with the same vigor and detail that he does Islam or the Inquisition. As a result the impression is much more skewed against religion, which is his objective.

A thorough analysis of his book will have to wait for another time. I will probably also include his ethics book with it when I do it.

Probably the most unusual part of reading this book was it was not painful, as was reading Dawkins, Hitchens, Loftus, and Carrier.