Sam Harris is a goof. His position on Islam demonstrates this well.
That’s not to say Harris doesn’t spit deep knowledge occasionally. Harris means well. He wants people to do better and live happier and healthier lives. That makes him noble. Still, a noble goof.
Harris’s comments on Islam represent profound ignorance. He believes he’s an expert by studying the religion of a billion people from afar. Harris is our generation’s epitome of the clueless scholar. He is the archetype of the academic fool, the clever but foolish scholar, that the Tao Te Ching refers to. For all his studying and research and all his thinking and blubbery, Harris has yet to crack the code of what makes Muslims Muslim. How could he, when he critiques Muslims around the world while sitting comfortably in the comforts of his study room?
This noble and intelligent man is a fool because he lacks wisdom. Like a high-performing computer who knows not if its own biased code is running in the background, Harris spews and spews his opinions on a religion and a group of people he has yet to feel, spreading more disconnect, confusion, and division between good people around the world. If he was wise, he would get out of his bubble and invest time with Muslims around the world. He would go out of his way to know and understand the same people that he denounces their religion. He’d meet the beautiful families, the same and caring mothers and fathers, the scholars, the doctors, the scientists, the architects of buildings and societies. Go, Harris. Hit the ground, research, and report what you find. Meet the Malaysian doctor, the Pakistani nurse, the Chinese entrepreneur in Hong Kong, and the Florida man who recently fell in love and converted.
Until then, Harris needs to shut his mouth about things he hasn’t felt and knows little about. Academics like Harris speak calmly and calculate, bamboozling others into thinking they must be right. We know from history that academics can be dangerously wrong and out of touch with reality. Speak to the artist, the farmer, and the labourer who live as Muslims daily.
