An Open Letter to Sam Harris

Public Intellectuals should think deeply, not echo MSNBC

Dear Sam,

(https://samharris.substack.com/

I admire you very much. I learned about Jonathan Haidt from your podcast. I used to thrill to the alert telling me a new podcast of yours had been uploaded. Recently, though, I wonder what you think you are adding to the world.

I may be in the minority here, but I do not want to see you react each week to current political events, outrages, tax policies, faux historians on Joe Rogan, etc.

I would much rather you address pre-political questions of living a good life and then touch a little on how to implement these policies at scale, which would get political.

Plato and an unknown female philosopher discuss The Good Life in Athens

For example, you have talked about Insight Meditation Society. I actually live near this place in Massachusetts and am spending the summer working at a center where I can listen to music, meditate, do yoga for free. But most people don’t live in California or the Berkshires and can’t afford classes in non-dualist enlightenment. Many children in urban areas or whose parents are stressed or just materialistic will not be exposed to meditation or sound baths(my favorite) or any philosophy of self-control. Could you talk with someone working to make ethics and impulse control and self-examination a part of school curriculum?

Likewise, I have gotten really into urban design recently. There are smart people determined to design new cities or redesign old cities in a way that minimizes car traffic ( cars are a blight on all good things, in my opinion, although you, Sam, being a lifelong Californian, may disagree) create visually pleasing, ornamental buildings in which to make memories and develop attachments to ones’ home. You could talk to a planner or architect about these efforts and the science of soul craft through space and aesthetics.

Roosevelt Montas has become one of my favorite thinkers recently. He went on Yascha Mounk’s podcast (a favorite of Sam's) and on Russ Robert’s Econ podcast (another favorite) and had great conversations about classical liberal education being a precondition for being a good citizen. With leftwing capture of universities and “problematization” of books by “dead white men” etc. and the Rightwing materialism and effort to defund and punish Universities for behaving so badly, Montas’ book “Rescuing Socrates” is very relevant. How do we fund and build public support for helping teenagers and young adults understand the foundations of our civilization without making these classics like legal briefs in partisan political battles? How do we better teach reading to kids? John McWhorter says phonics, which would likely help a lot.

These are just a few ideas.

Thanks to you, Sam, for all the great episodes over the years. I can tell you work hard and continue to expose me to a diverse assortment of intellectuals.

Your Listener