Full podcast episode: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/h9-incqXksW6lJ8.html Lex Fridman podcast channel: kzfaq.info Guest bio: Sam Harris is an author, podcaster, and philosopher.

Maybe I’ve missed something, but Lex’s cheery advocacy for love strikes me as naive, but not because it wouldn’t be a good thing. It’s kind of like saying, “Can’t we all just get along.” If it were that easy, it would have already happened. Better to first identify the beliefs and biases that are making the expressions of love he wants to see difficult or impossible.

Sam is the smartest person Sam has ever met.

Sad quote of the day: Lex: “Oh those were wild times, thats when the toilet papers …”

Gosh, I need Sam Harris to teach me how to be an adult...and I'm 45 years old.

From what I can see, nobody here in the comment section has even attempted to engage with anything Sam is saying in these clips. Most criticism just seems to characterise him along these lines "I'm Sam Harris and I can't be wrong. Also I'm smarter than everyone else"

Sam is not arrogant, he's reasonable. Something you can't say about most of the former "IDW" . This comment section is nuts. Blind contarianism and distrust of institutions doesn't make you clever. I absolutely love that Sam highlights this.

How is every comment: Sam is () but he is wrong af. Im actually shocked more ppl arent more aligned w him on this. Elon's entire twitter saga has been largely a disastrous distraction from more pressing matters minus the twitter files.

lex is giving terrible advice . people with large audiences shouldn't recklessly say things in which they have zero expertise and could potentially cause lives

I watched 4 clips of this talk and all of them he mentioned Trump in some way.. holy shit.. let it go man

Jeez what is with all this hate towards Sam Harris, doesn’t make any sense (and interestingly it’s only on clips about COVID)

I didn’t realize Ben Stiller held so many strong opinions on COVID

I use to admire Musk but Sam's right here. Some of what's he's doing could benefit the world but, somewhere along the way, he lost his way. He's rich, he's smart about tech (generally speaking) but he's allowed personal grudges to effect his behavior. I imagine it's put a lot of his friends in a tough spot.

The problem with Sam Harris being this "great thinker" he can never go back on anything he said, and now he has to constantly defend everything he has ever said.

I had no idea who Sam was until I watched this Podcast, I like his takes on EVERYTHING!

Sam keeps acting like everywhere in the world was the same as the US with all the hysteria. I was in SE Asia at the time, a region that the international media hailed as doing a "great job" but in reality - the majority of people in SE Asia were not hysterical about covid. They weren't openly defiant about the "partial" lock downs, but they weren't really diligently following social distancing rules either. People were having beer parties at their homes in Indonesia (I was there) and I hear they were doing in the same in Cambodia. And when you look at the low death rate (like...zero people dead) in Cambodia throughout all of 2020, it raises eyebrows. They aren't like Taiwan or New Zealand where they closed their borders before any covid cases were brought in. These countries had covid cases before the US did being so close to China.

As much as this comment thread is full of people calling Sam annoying, and full of himself etc…I sleep a lot better knowing there are people in the world like him. That self regulate. That care about nuance. And that don’t act like Elon Musk has. This idea that people with massive impact, have no personal responsibility for their actions doesn’t make sense to me. Thanks Lex and Sam for continuing to fight the good fight.

I like Sam, but at the same time it’s pretty clear that he feels that his perspective on any given situation is most clear and wise and thus deserves and merits the utmost platforming and consideration.

I was in Korea when this stuff happened and our spreading came earlier in late january and the fact that symptoms were more detrimental than the average cold, we instinctively became more cautious but did not panic (there are memes that we still go shopping when NK make missile threats)....but i feel talking in absolutes isnt the best way to convince your opinion to others

The world according to Sam Harris (and others): everything good and bad in the world can be traced back to Twitter tweets. Reality: most people don't care about Twitter, hardly ever read it, never seek it out on their own except when it is shoved in their faces by news media. I like Sam Harris, but he focuses on the wrong things too often and gets riled up by nonsense.

The irony of Sam Harris talking about other people ruining their reputations.

As much as I like Lex and am interested in what his perspective is, its reliable that whomever Joe Rogan's sympathies or allegiances are to, Lex, as a Rogan Acolyte, it sure to follow suite.

I think Sam was conned by early Elon and the way he behaves on Twitter is the real Elon the way he has always been behind the scene.

Sam is a very intelligent guy but tends to be myopic in his point of view sometimes. His statement of "certain things were not debatable" is an excellent indicator of his inflexibility on this topic. The scope of the pandemic, the experience, etc. was not universal but rather very regionally different. He's also creating a post-hoc narrative, it wasn't "absolutely clear where this was going" and he doesn't make a compelling argument to support his position.

Here you go, Sam clearly explained my thoughts on Elon!

Stopped caring about what Sam Harris says a long time ago. He's a fool with a vocabulary. Congratulations! You can say words. Just like our current government, there are fewer punishments for being right or wrong. He is obviously wrong.

9:19 -- paraphrasing Sam -- I'm wasting my time discussing issues that were big deals to people who currently and formerly followed my work. Gives me the impression that he is still adamant that he's been right this whole time.

i think Elon dosnt care that much about his reputation he cares about the impact he has on the world

I'm a huge Sam fan.... Buy I feel like he's taking the attitude where his intelligence can govern what should come out of people's mouth. "Smart people" shouldn't regulate what info gets to the world. Otherwise where do we draw the line ?

I'm not a fan of Trump, but using words like "Trumpy, Trumpistan..." is an obvious strawman argument. Say your opinion and make your point and let it stand on its own without being political.

Eion showed his true colours when his ego was more important than the lives of the kids trapped in the cave in thailand

Lex is a smart guy, but he being unable to criticize Elon Musk feels like he just can't think critically about the subject. This isn't being a rational person, it's being a fan, and being a fan of someone that might be doing harm and not being able to speak up is a huge hurdle.

Sam is a true gem.

He’s so well spoken.

I think what Sam is trying to avoid saying is that Elon denied the existence of COVID at that point or at least it being something worth talking about. That’s why he said „is there a water bottle or not“.

The living embodiment of "annoyingly, he had a point" emph: annoyingly.. intriguing..looking forward to the four hours.

Socrates already in ancient times pointed out: that people who are specialising in one field, are extrapolating their confidence into the subjects they don't have any knowledge about'. Sam is absolutely right, people should listed the specialist in the field. People are allowed to have an opinion, but their opinions often aren't facts.

Lex has to reach to the far and beyond to make am excuse for inexcusable things.

I really don't get why people is hating Sam.

'There's something very Trumpian about how he's acting.." LMAO To think his PHD thesis was "The Moral Landscape: How Science Could Determine Human Values," yet decades later find himself interwoven within a value system that essentially measures people based on how similar/dissimilar they are to Trump is disappointing. You flew too close to the sun, Icarus, and instead landed on Trump's orange hair. I've had some reservations with Jordan Peterson as of late, but to remember I viewed Sam Harris as up to par with JP just a few years ago during their debates is ridiculous. All he had to do was let Harris talk and fall on his own sword.

10:19 Lex really it hit on the head

The covid response included shutting down churches and health clubs. Marijuana dispensaries and liquor stores were somehow deemed essential.

Sam is right on the money about Elon Musk.

Trump still living rent free in Sam’s head 24/7.

I would argue Sam Harris’ disdain for Trump is really effecting his attitude toward everything.

Sam can never fathom the possibility he could be wrong about anything.

two things broke sam. his career speedbump after he hosted charles murray on his podcast (he knows murray to be correct) and how much hate he got. and also trump. it annoys him that trump is so unserious and boisterous instead of a competent academic.statesman. trump is all confidence and no skill. i think that sort of person annoys sam endlessly.

Ironically (or not) Musk was 100% right about Covid.

You could tell that if Sam was given power he would become a tyrant

Lex is a very nice man. He is smart enough to be a good listener. He could probably go off on intelligent tangents for hours but he lets his guests speak. Its hard to listen to some people speak sometimes but let them say their shit at least. Cheers Lex

‘certain things were not debatable’… that’s the whole problem…Sam is no different than everyone else trying to shutdown conversation…Sam you lose.

Sam saying nothing about a private argument he had with Elon. 13 minutes of my life I will never get back.

Some people need a reality check in these comments. Coming from an Elon fanboy, you are allowed to put forth a respectful criticism.

With great power comes great responsibility, and the problem I find with most people these days who have this power, they don't seem to recognize this or respect this stance. In other words, the wrong people have the power.

well, there is a point to make that with great reach on social media plattforms, there comes great responsibility. Many people choose to stay silent on social media and maybe this is the best call to make since we all know that we are all wrong to some degree. In contrast, if a voice can be heard by many, why not use that voice to better the world? And clearly, Elon thinks that on balance, his voice adds value. On the other hand, Elons behaviour is probably grounded in a different philosophy: that his opinions should not be taken that seriously just because he is popular in a technical sense. Of course, that is somewhat delusional - many people give Elons opinions a high weight in conversations and to ignore this could be argued to be irresponsible.

I want to like Sam, but until I hear some sincere remorse for his take on torture, I just find it hard to respect him. I don't get why he gets held in such high esteem for otherwise stating the obvious.

Sam seems to have a profound confidence that his world view is best for everyone else.

Why does anyone think Sam’s some kind of smart guy? He thinks he’s brilliant. He owes many people apologies which will never come. That’s what narcissists do.

I think it’s clear: no one has fun with Sam. He’s spectacularly UN-FUN. No way Elon enjoyed his company at any point. Lex is trying his best to smile during the interview. Snooze fest.

The Irony is Sam has become religious in the sense "certain things were not debatable" is the same thing a religious fundamentalist would say. I used to look up to Sam, but he has become the very thing he warned humanity about. Only a nuke of self-awareness or first principles can break the spell.

Nobody takes Sam as serious as he does himself or ever will.

"Well technically there's only one fourth of a water bottle. What defines a water bottle, is it the water inside the water bottle, or is it the water bottle? What I'm giving you is an example of it's worth a conversation." Actually Lex, what you're giving is an example of a worthless conversation. Bravo.

Took only 71 seconds for Sam to mention Trump. Hey Sam….Trump Trump Trump Trump.

I can’t believe I used to read this man’s books. 😂

For people not open to listen to Sam that's the same as not being open to listen to Kanye or Trump. The problem is that people do not understand (or don't want to) that people with this much influence should also be held accountable when they fuck up. They shouldn't be there all for the praise when they do something right and shrug off everyone else's opinion when they do something wrong.

I think for the first time the real subject is not the intellect. It is fear. And here we see a man who has or had a lot of fear around the pandemic, and perhaps used his intellect to appear to have a handle on what was going on. Perhaps more time needs to be spent exploring the fear, rather than the mind.

Lex is so full of it, you cant say you want things to be good and taunt your guest with immature, underhanded remarks and in the same breath say that you look up to them. Lex already came into the conversation with a preconception, so yeah what is the point of Sam Harris discussing it. You've basically cornered him into a defensive position. This guy is shady af.

trump broke sam.

It's really hard for me to watch this. I'm a fan of both Sam and Elon.

‘Panic over COVID is dumb” …turns out to be true given the consequences of lockdowns etc. Sam Harris is an example of how even bright intellects loose out to common sense. If Trump wasn’t on the scene at the time, I’m sure the direction of public policy would have been more sensible.

Sam Harris is gone ladies and gentleman. Idk who this person is anymore, but it is not Sam harris.

"Tried to mitigate my friends behavior." Who are you to mitigate any adults behavior?!?! Clean up your side of the street and leave other adults alone to exercise their agency. What a fool.

What I got from this is that Sam really really really dislikes his "friend" Elon Musk. You can just tell he wants to go so much harder on him lol

“What defines a water bottle, is it the water in side or the water bottle?” lol This guy doesn’t deserve to be in a conversation with Sam !

On the facts, I didn't really see anything Sam said that was wrong.. not sure what the rest of you are complaining about. I guess it's because he doesn't sound like Trump? so confident and self-assured of his stupidity?

I have changed my mind on things I once felt strongly about, enough to realize there’s probably more. I wish I knew which ones. Sam could benefit from a little introspection.

I'm with Sam - I really could care less what Elon thought of Covid or what he does; some of these people and what they think are not terribly important nor are they experts.

Sam needs to stop his obsession with Trump. Seriously.

Got it - facts about Hunter Biden are not important, but questionable articles retweeted by Elon Musk MUST STOP. Very selective Sammy.

I immediately don't like this guy. But I'll listen to the whole thing at work tomorrow with an open mind.

What I have learned from watching this interview is if Sam Harris has formed an opinion on a subject that is the most moral, objective, noble and good opinion that can exist on that subject.

Sam Harris is not the final arbiter for every issue. Sam might win a new appreciation for those who make things and do things rather than just talk if he attempted to build something himself. Things are greater than mere words.

This Sam guy could never conceive the possibility of himself being wrong. What a guy. 🙄

😂 Sam. We shouldn't be debating COVID. Just trust trust science bro.

TDS can be terminal, if left untreated. Get well soon, Sam

The algorithm has got him. Someone please get this man some psychedelics. Sam has always been such a good example of someone who’s put more effort into hiding their ego versus actually dissolving it. I haven’t always agreed with every stance he’s had but I’ve always been a fan and deeply understand the importance of a man such as himself. I wish the best for you Sam, truly.

You need to find someone who loves you like Sam loves Sam.

The way Lex said "...the toilet paper" 😂

The TDS in Sam's mind is profound, Trump lives rent free in his mind and brain as evidenced by the constant references on every subject and person. Sam needs a serious intervention.

Let's cut to the chase! Elon Musk has undoubtedly achieved remarkable feats, but let's call a spade a spade: he's a hypocrite. He buys Twitter, claiming it's about freedom of speech, yet bans users at his whim. His COVID stance is all over the place. He preaches workers' rights but fights unions tooth and nail at Tesla. And Sam hits the nail on the head about his social media antics - hardly fitting for someone preaching professionalism. He's accomplished, sure, but as a person, I'm not a fan. Please, spare us the thought of him running for president; he'd be another Trump, only smarter and thus even more dangerous. 🙄

This guy seems to have a lot of public disagreements with his friends.

The problem with Sam's criticism is that Elon Musk WAS right about COVID, as it turns out.

Sams kinda right on this one. I’m team Elon, he I believe is sacrificing a lot for humanity. He needs to turn twit over to someone else.

It's funny Sam: the things you're saying about how you think Twitter has made Elon crazy, and all the different examples you're giving sounds EXACTLY like what Trump has done to you. Just change the incidentals, swap Twitter with Trump, and it's you. "It's not ethical, it's ruining his reputation, he's not showing..." This is the man that said he'd support all the slimy shit the press had been and still are doing if it meant it would keep Trump from office. When you have Joe Rogan saying "I don't know what's going on with Sam, I hope he can come back from where he's going," you might want to take that as your canary in the coalmine. That's about as harsh on criticism that Joe will give did someone he considers a friend. He's one of the most open hearted people out there, and tht most willing to let people live their lives and hold the positions they do. When he makes a comment, even one, on the air it means it's of real concern. Sam just cannot admit that everything they were telling us was going to happen Vis-à-vis Covid were (at best) untrue. He can't admit the ones he was badmouthing for their views: not the normal jerkoffs, I'm talking about medical and scientific professionals who were the ones who were right, and the ones he chose to listen to were wrong. Not only were many wrong: they knew they were wrong at the time and were flat out lying to everyone. I was a big fan of Harris for over decade. I didn't agree with most of his views, but when he would talk about the chain of logic he used to arrive to the conclusions he based his opinions on, I could understand completely how he arrived at them and respect them. Now? I have no f'cking clue what he's doing or what he's thinking. He's really shown himself to be a complete hypocrite. Worse: the things he's been talking about in his professional life have turned out to be bullshit. His whole stand on moral relativism being a crock and in no way an excuse for behavior, then gives a moral relativistic reason as to why holding back the Hunter Biden laptop too have been the right thing to do because it helped keep Trump from being reelected…WTF is that? You're a phony.

I think Sam may have a slight problem with Trump. Everyone is now “Trumpian”

Elon is problematic in so many ways. I agree with sams take here. Elon is brilliant but a hype man and acts pretty authoritarian and silly on Twitter. It is what it is. These billionaire tech fools will destroy this society

I love how the water bottle just appeared on the table when he brought it up! Spooky

Sam doesn't seem to recognize that respectful engagement with opposing voices is necessary even when you feel your view is totally correct. When you conclude "I'm right, case closed, and there should be no discussion," all you do is encourage the opposition to further dig in their heels, because from their perspective, they have SOME reason for believing what they believe. If you simply dictate that they're wrong and dismiss them, they still haven't heard anything to sway their viewpoint. The only thing that changed, is they now dislike you, on top of already thinking they disagree with you.

Sam boxes himself in all the time...he relies on definitions and nuance to stay relevant.

Sam Harris, a necessary and talented voice for reason.