Objections to Sam Harris’ Critic of Religion

Year 2023, , 439 - 467, 31.12.2023

Saim Gündoğan

https://doi.org/10.12730/is.1257476

Cited By: 1

Abstract

Some thinkers of the modern period have reached the general opinion that the social appearance and social dynamics of religion have increased, and therefore, religion is on the rise. However, the historical and theological tensions between religions that sometimes lead to conflicts and the increase in disagreements between various sects of the same religion have led to an increase in criticism of religion as a whole in certain circles. Sam Harris is one of the important representatives of the new atheism, which is among the schools of thought that make these criticisms. In this study, I will discuss Harris’ criticism of religion in which he argues that religious belief has many harmful and negative aspects. Therefore, he defends the view that it is necessary to fight against religion and to completely remove the phenomenon of religion from people’s lives. This and other of Harris’ basic claims, grounds, evidence, and views on the subject will be discussed, the persuasiveness and philosophical value of his basic approach will be examined through comparisons with rational and philosophical evaluations, and prominent dilemmas, if any, will be identified. The consistency of Harris’ criticism of religious beliefs and the accuracy of these criticisms constitute the problematic of the study. The aim of this study is to examine the author’s views through criticism, consider comparisons of this subject, and create a synthesis based on different approaches to the subject. To present this synthesis, the basic framework of this study is an examination of his The End of Faith: The Separation of Religion and Reason, Morality without God: A Guide for Spirituality without Religion, and The Harms of Religion: Conflicting Truth Claims of Religions.

Keywords

Philosophy of religion, religion, God, new atheism, Sam Harris

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