Sam Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American neuroscientist, philosopher, author, and podcast host. He is known for his work on a variety of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics, philosophy of mind, politics, terrorism, and artificial intelligence. Harris gained prominence as a critic of religion and is known as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism, along with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett.
Harris holds a B.A. in philosophy from Stanford University and a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from UCLA, where he studied the neural basis of belief using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). He is the author of several New York Times bestsellers, including The End of Faith (which won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction), Letter to a Christian Nation, The Moral Landscape, Free Will, Lying, and Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion. His writings have been published in over 20 languages.
Currently, Harris hosts the "Making Sense" podcast, which explores questions about the human mind, society, current events, moral philosophy, religion, and rationality. He also created the "Waking Up" app, a secular guide to mindfulness and meditation. The app offers guided meditations and lessons and promotes secular mindfulness practices. Harris is also the co-founder and CEO of Project Reason.