The 10 Best Sam Harris Episodes of All Time

1) #22 — Surviving the Cosmos

After their meaty conversation, David Deutsch and Sam Harris will have you reflecting on civilization’s existing progress, and the unforeseeable future that’s in-store for the world. However, this is not as somber of a topic as one may expect — David praises the extent of human knowledge, and takes an optimistic standpoint on our ability to survive. As a quantum physicist and an accomplished academic based at the University of Oxford, David’s gift for unpacking difficult, revolutionary ideas will help listeners from any background follow along.

2) #104 — The Lessons of Death

Death is a topic we often shy away from. However, fans of the show highly recommend this episode on death, labelling it as a must-listen and as one of Sam Harris’ best podcasts. Bringing an enlightened perspective on the subject, Sam speaks alongside Buddhist teacher Frank Ostaseski, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging death.

Together, they explain how this awareness can impact the daily actions that you take, and help you gain an appreciation for life’s beauty. Bringing an expertise in end-of-life hospice care, Frank also contributes his first-hand experience in seeing how mindfulness can assist those who are dying to comprehend their fate. Overall, this is a captivating episode that, as cliché as it may sound, reminds us to not take the small things in life for granted.

3) #71 — What Is Technology Doing to Us?

Tristan Harris is an entrepreneur, and former Design Ethicist at Google. In this episode, Tristan shares how designers are often taught to take advantage of cognitive biases, to persuade customers to take particular actions. He notes that this issue is particularly complex, as many of these manipulative products also produce benefits for users, concealing their harmful impact. Whether you use Snapchat, Twitter, YouTube and WeChat, this episode will leave you re-evaluating your relationship with the digital world.

4) #86 — From Cells to Cities

Geoffrey West is a theoretical physicist by training, who has quite the information-packed conversation on the Making Sense podcast. He touches on the phenomena of scaling laws, which extend from biological molecules to companies to even city ecosystems. One of the key observations he drives home is that most aspects of an entity do not scale linearly, leading to economies of scales. Expect to be intrigued as you learn about the mathematical concepts that are the driving force in the world around you. But be forewarned: you may have to re-play this episode a few times to absorb all the knowledge he offers.

5) #163 — Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais isn’t the typical guest you’d expect to see on Sam Harris’ pod that usually features academics.The comedian and actor makes for a great conversationalist, providing a fresh perspective on fame, social media haters, and how he navigates potentially offensive jokes as a comic. Not one to let internet trolls break his stride, Ricky notes how he gracefully brushes off rude comments, even finding the humour in them. Although a lighter and less scholarly episode, it is certainly one worth a listen.

6) #219 — The Power of Compassion

Many may be shocked to learn that Sam’s guest in this episode, James R. Doty, grew-up in the midst of chaos and poverty. A professor of neurosurgery, a philanthropist, and the founder of the Centre for Compassion and Altruism at Stanford he isn’t short on accomplishments. An incredible source of inspiration, James reveals the power of self-affirmation, the detrimental side-effects of negativity, and the power of leveraging a positive mindset to manifest what you want — the same lines of thought that he attributes his success to. He also speaks to compassion, defining what it is, and why he became so enthralled with it. Overall, it’s safe to say that after listening, you’ll have no doubts that this is one of the best Sam Harris episodes.

7) #138 — The Edge of Humanity

You are likely most familiar with this episode’s guest due to his acclaimed book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. In this episode however, Yuval Noah Harari and Sam Harris center their conversation around Yuval’s book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century. Using his insight as a historian, Yuval speaks to the wide-scale implications of technological advancements.

Notably, he acknowledges how our democracy is at stake, due to our newfound reliance on algorithms to make our choices for us — from picking a movie to choosing who we should date (Netflix and Tinder, anyone?). He later heads further into the future, contemplating how far a global universal, basic income may need to go if jobs become obsolete and economies collapse. As incredible food for thought, this is a conversation that deserves your full attention.

8) #227 — Knowing the Mind

9) #142 — Addiction, Depression, and a Meaningful Life

10) #152 — The Trouble with Facebook

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