The End of Faith Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason

Jul 6, 2026

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The End of Faith, by Sam Harris, examines how religious belief interacts with terrorism and rational thought, arguing that both religious and secular forms of fanaticism can undermine humane democracy. Drawing on examples ranging from Islamist violence to critiques of irrational faith, the book frames tolerance and reason as central societal stakes. Its early chapters open with a concrete narrative of a suicide attack to question what can be known, inferred, and ethically debated about faith-driven action.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages340

Reading Time14 h 17 min

Reason in Exile

The Nature of Belief

In the Shadow of God

The Problem with Islam

West of Eden

A Science of Good and Evil

Experiments in Consciousness

Epilogue

Further Praise for The End ofFaith "A radical attack on the most sacred of liberal precepts—the notion of tolerance. . . . [The End of Faith] is an eminently sensible rallying cry for a more ruthless secularisation of society. " —Stephanie Merritt , The Observer "Harris's tour de force demonstrates how faith—blind, deaf, dumb , and unreasoned—threatens our very existence. His expose of faith-based unreason—from the religious fanaticism of Islamic suicide bombers to the secular fanaticism of Noam Chomsky—is a clarion call for reasoned debate in this age of terrorism. The End of Faith shows how the perfect tyranny of religious and secular totalitarianism demonizes imperfect democracies such as the United States and Israel. A must read for all rational people. " —Alan Dershowitz, professor of law at Harvard University and author of America on Trial "[Harris] writes with such verve and frequent insight that even skeptical readers will find it hard to put down. " —Daniel Blue, San Francisco Chronicle "At last we have a book that focuses on the common thread that links Islamic terrorism with the irrationality of all religious faith. The End of Faith will challenge not only Muslims but Hindus , Jews, and Christians as well. " —Peter Singer, author of The President of Good and Evil: The Ethics of George W. Bush "[Harris's] brief accounts of intuition , and of the notion of a 'moral community,' are as good as anything I have read on these topics. " —John Derbyshire , New York Sun "Here is a ringing challenge to all Americans who recognize the danger to American democracy posed by the political alliance of right-wing religion and politics and the failure of the tepid and tentative responses by liberal persons of faith. While one might dispute some of the claims and arguments presented by Harris, the need for a wake-up call to religious liberals is right on the mark. " —Joseph C. Hough Jr., president of Union Theological Seminary, New York THE END OF FAITH Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason SAM HARRI S W • W • NORTON & COMPANY NEW YORK LONDON Copyright © 2005, 2004 by Sam Harris All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America First published as a Norton paperback 2005 For information about permission to reproduce selections from this book, write to Permissions, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10110 Manufacturing by The Courier Companies, Inc. Book design by Margaret M. Wagner Production manager: Amanda Morrison Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Harris, Sam, date. The end of faith : religion, terror, and the future of reason / Sam Harris.— 1st ed. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-393-03515-8 (hardcover) 1. Religion—Controversial literature. 2. Terrorism—Religious aspects. 3. Psychology, Religious. 4. Secular humanism. I. Title. BL2775 .3.H37 2004 200—dc22 2004007874 ISBN 0-393-32765-5 pbk. W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110 [www.wwnorton.com](www.wwnorton.com) W. W. Norton & Company Ltd., Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 For my mother Contents 1 Reason in Exile 11 2 The Nature of Belief 50 3 In the Shadow of God 80 4 The Problem with Islam 108 5 West of Eden 153 6 A Science of Good and Evil 170 7 Experiments in Consciousness 204 Epilogue 223 Afterword 229 Notes 239 Bibliography 303 Acknowledgments 333 Index 335 1 Reason in Exile THE young man boards the bus as it leaves the terminal. He wearsan overcoat. Beneath his overcoat, he is wearing a bomb. His pockets are filled with nails, ball bearings, and rat poison. The bus is crowded and headed for the heart of the city. The young man takes his seat beside a middle-aged couple. He will wait for the bus to reach its next stop. The couple at his side appears to be shopping for a new refrigerator. The woman has d

FAQs

What central idea does the book present about religion and society?

The book argues that faith-based certainty—alongside both religious and secular fanaticism—can threaten rational debate and democratic life.

How does the early narrative in the book illustrate its argument?

The opening story describes a suicide attack in precise, factual terms and then pressures the reader to distinguish between what is known and what can be inferred, especially about the attacker’s beliefs.

Which themes and topics does the book cover according to its table of contents?

It addresses belief, God’s shadow, the problem with Islam, moral community and ethics, consciousness experiments, and closes with an epilogue, followed by notes, bibliography, and index.

Jul 6, 2026

Upload by Quinn