Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion by Sam Harris
Harris takes the reader on his personal road trip of experience, scepticism and good science to show why spirituality is good thing, albeit repeatedly hijacked by cranks and psychotics to pursue their own ends. The road trip goes down the fast lane of drugs, gurus and mystical retreats, while at the same time exploring the slow lane of meditation to elevate one’s perceptions above one’s immediate self. I have found the book revelatory. It is only a starting point, its brevity does not allow much depth into the study of meditation, but Harris is frank about his own challenges and experiments and, most importantly, examines these from a logical and scientific perspective.
I am a fan of Harris because he promotes rationality but avoids the atheistic dogmatism that alienates some of his fellow ‘horsemen of the apocalypse’. Harris does not put the boot into religion in this book, but he does objectively examine purveyors of spirituality and their motives. It often isn’t pretty. Moreover, he says “until we can talk about spirituality in rational terms – acknowledging the validity of self-transcendence – our world will remain shattered by dogmatism”. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any reader interested in meditation or yoga to improve their lives, and Harris’s peak into the alternative side of psychedelic drugs is a necessary comparison. It would be unfortunate if this necessary part of the discussion was interpreted to be unhealthy or risky.
I am a fan of Harris because he promotes rationality but avoids the atheistic dogmatism that alienates some of his fellow ‘horsemen of the apocalypse’. Harris does not put the boot into religion in this book, but he does objectively examine purveyors of spirituality and their motives. It often isn’t pretty. Moreover, he says “until we can talk about spirituality in rational terms – acknowledging the validity of self-transcendence – our world will remain shattered by dogmatism”. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any reader interested in meditation or yoga to improve their lives, and Harris’s peak into the alternative side of psychedelic drugs is a necessary comparison. It would be unfortunate if this necessary part of the discussion was interpreted to be unhealthy or risky.
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