Making Sense with Sam Harris

Sam Harris interviews Robin Carhart-Harris, a UCSF researcher, about the current state of psychedelic science and therapy. They discuss the FDA denial of MDMA therapy approval, the importance of therapeutic context, quality control concerns, and contraindications for psychedelic use. The conversation covers both the promising clinical results and the significant risks and challenges facing the field.

Sam Harris interviews Lloyd Blankfein, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, about his memoir 'Streetwise,' the 2008 financial crisis, wealth inequality, and current economic risks. Blankfein explains Goldman's role as a financial intermediary, defends their conduct during the crisis, and reflects on how regulatory responses and human nature shape economic cycles. The conversation also touches on market rationality, the disconnect between markets and the real economy, and growing concerns about inequality and political dysfunction.

Sam Harris and Ben Shapiro engage in a post-mortem debate on Trump's second term, revisiting predictions Shapiro made before the 2024 election. Harris challenges Shapiro on Trump's tariff policies, familial corruption, the pardoning of January 6th rioters, and whether Shapiro's 'lesser of two evils' framework adequately accounts for unprecedented presidential misconduct. Shapiro defends a policy-outcomes-focused view while conceding surprise at the scale of Trump family corruption.

Sam Harris interviews political scientist Francis Fukuyama to revisit his 'End of History' thesis, explore the meaning of liberalism, and assess the current threats to liberal democracy from both the populist right and identity-politics left. They discuss China as a potential rival model, the self-defeating tendencies within liberalism, and the state of American democracy under Trump.

Rahm Emanuel discusses his potential 2028 presidential run, criticizing both parties for focusing on nostalgia rather than the future. He argues Democrats must abandon identity politics distractions and embrace educational accountability while addressing anti-Semitism and critiquing Netanyahu's leadership of Israel.

Tristan Harris discusses his journey from social media critic to AI safety advocate, arguing that current AI development incentives are leading toward an 'anti-human future' characterized by mass unemployment, political instability, and potential loss of human control over increasingly autonomous AI systems.

Sam Harris discusses navigating overwhelming current events through mindfulness, the challenges of AI displacement, and his philosophy on podcast conversations. He critiques conspiracy thinking and misinformation spread by large platforms while explaining his selective approach to adversarial debates.

Sam Harris and William MacAskill discuss the current state of effective altruism after recent setbacks, covering core EA cause areas like global health, animal welfare, pandemic preparedness, and AI safety. They explore tensions between quantifiable interventions and harder-to-measure but potentially high-impact problems like political dysfunction and social media's effects on democracy.

A discussion between Sam Harris and a guest about how information technology has harmed society over the past decade, exploring social media toxicity, AI's impact on human behavior, and the potential for both technological solutions and social adaptation. They examine how anonymity enables bad behavior online and how AI might change human interactions both positively and negatively.

Sam Harris discusses concerns about the current administration's handling of the Iran conflict, criticizing Trump's poor communication and diplomatic failures while maintaining that preventing jihadists from obtaining nuclear weapons justifies military intervention. He argues that jihadism represents a unique existential threat that requires relentless opposition, and criticizes both left and right-wing opposition to the war for different reasons.

Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and Democratic candidate for California governor, discusses his pragmatic approach to governance, focusing on measurable outcomes rather than performative politics. He emphasizes the need to address California's housing crisis, homelessness, and bureaucratic inefficiency through focused execution and accountability.

A detailed discussion about Deep Vision, a canceled $125 million USAID program that would have collected 10,000 unknown viruses from remote locations, characterized their deadliness, and published their genomes publicly. The speakers describe their successful whistleblowing campaign that led to the program's termination.

Sam Harris discusses Trump's approach to potential Iran conflict, America's declining international standing, and rising anti-Semitism. He argues that while Trump's norm-breaking may occasionally yield results, it has fundamentally damaged America's moral authority and alienated democratic allies.

A discussion about authoritarian threats from figures like Putin and Trump, examining how dictators telegraph their intentions while critics are dismissed as paranoid. The conversation focuses on the collapse of democratic norms, the capture of institutions, and strategies for potential recovery.

Political commentator Jonah Goldberg discusses the erosion of American institutions under Trump, analyzing how both parties have become increasingly beholden to their extreme bases rather than governing for the center. He explores the structural problems with primaries and campaign finance that incentivize partisan extremism over moderate governance.

Sam Harris discusses recent political corruption involving Trump's cryptocurrency deals with UAE royalty in exchange for AI chip access, and examines predictions that AI will automate most white-collar professional jobs within 12-18 months. The conversation also touches on the appeal of bipartisan political discourse with former Republican guests.

Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller from The Bulwark discuss their origins as Never Trump Republicans and analyze the current state of right-wing media figures like Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens, and Tucker Carlson. They explore how Trump transformed conservative politics and examine the concerning influence of conspiracy theorists and anti-establishment figures within the Republican party.

Sam Harris discusses being mentioned in the Epstein files due to a brief email exchange where Epstein invited him to dinner with Woody Allen and Chomsky. Harris and his co-host analyze the different levels of culpability among those named in the files, distinguishing between actual criminals, enablers, and peripheral figures.

Jonathan Rauch explains to Sam Harris why he changed his position and now considers Trump's administration fascist rather than merely patrimonialist. They discuss the 18 characteristics of fascism that Rauch identified and analyze specific examples including norm demolition, glorification of violence, and the implications of recent government actions.

Sam Harris discusses a controversial Border Patrol shooting, arguing that regardless of the victim's behavior, the killing was unjustified and hypocritical given Second Amendment advocacy. He also touches on Iran protests, climate issues, and brief political commentary.