Career Timeline of Sam Harris: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Sam Harris made an impact.

Sam Harris is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host known for his work on rationality, ethics, free will, consciousness, and the critique of religion. A prominent figure in the New Atheism movement, Harris challenges religious dogma and advocates for a science-based understanding of morality and human well-being. He explores the nature of consciousness, often discussing meditation and psychedelics. His work also touches on political issues, terrorism, and the implications of artificial intelligence, reflecting a broad intellectual scope rooted in science and reason.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Controversies & Scandals

2000: Harris Completes B.A. Degree

In 2000, Sam Harris completed a B.A. degree in philosophy at Stanford, marking the culmination of his undergraduate studies.

2004: Publication of The End of Faith

In 2004, Sam Harris's first book, The End of Faith, was published and later won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction. The book, which critiques religion, received mixed reviews.

2004: The End of Faith Published

In 2004, Sam Harris's first book, The End of Faith, was published. It won the PEN/Martha Albrand Award for First Nonfiction and remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 33 weeks.

2005: Referenced end of Gaza occupation.

In October 2023, during the Gaza war, Sam Harris voiced his support for Israel and noted that Gaza had not been occupied since 2005.

2006: Letter to a Christian Nation Published

In 2006, Sam Harris published his book, Letter to a Christian Nation. This was another of his early works focused on critiquing religion.

April 2007: Debate with Rick Warren

In April 2007, Sam Harris debated with evangelical pastor Rick Warren for Newsweek magazine, furthering his public engagement on the topic of religion and ethics.

2008: Support for Barack Obama

In 2008, Sam Harris supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy and opposed John McCain's candidacy.

2009: Harris Receives Ph.D.

In 2009, Sam Harris received a Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, Los Angeles. His thesis was titled The Moral Landscape: How Science Could Determine Human Values.

2010: Debate on the Future of God

In 2010, Sam Harris joined Michael Shermer to debate with Deepak Chopra and Jean Houston on the future of God in a debate hosted by ABC News Nightline, continuing his involvement in public discussions on religion and philosophy.

2010: The Moral Landscape Published

In 2010, Sam Harris published The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values. This book explores the intersection of science and morality.

April 2011: Debate with William Lane Craig

In April 2011, Sam Harris debated with Christian philosopher William Lane Craig on whether there can be an objective morality without God. This debate addressed fundamental questions about the basis of morality.

2011: Lying Essay Published

In 2011, Sam Harris published the essay Lying, further contributing to his body of work on ethics and morality.

2012: Free Will Published

In 2012, Sam Harris published the short book Free Will, delving into the philosophical topic of determinism and free will.

September 2013: Waking Up Podcast Released

In September 2013, Sam Harris began releasing the Waking Up podcast, which was later re-titled Making Sense.

2014: Waking Up Published

In 2014, Sam Harris published Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion, exploring spirituality through a secular lens.

2016: TED Talk on Artificial Intelligence Risks

In 2016, Sam Harris gave a TED talk where he argued that artificial general intelligence poses a major existential risk in the future and criticized the lack of human interest in the subject, highlighting the potential dangers of AI development.

2016: Support for Hillary Clinton and opposition to Donald Trump

In 2016, Sam Harris supported Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party presidential primaries against Bernie Sanders, and in the general election, he strongly opposed Donald Trump's candidacy despite calling Clinton "a terribly flawed candidate".

April 2017: Podcast with Charles Murray

In April 2017, Sam Harris hosted Charles Murray on his podcast, discussing topics including the heritability of IQ and race and intelligence. This sparked controversy and criticism, with accusations of promoting "pseudoscientific racialist speculation".

2017: Recognition of Harris's Podcast

In 2017, the UK Business Insider included Harris's podcast in their list of "8 podcasts that will change how you think about human behavior", and The Waking Up podcast won the Webby Award for "People's Voice" in the category "Science & Education".

September 2018: Waking Up with Sam Harris App Released

In September 2018, Sam Harris released a meditation course app called Waking Up with Sam Harris, offering guided meditations and lessons.

2018: PC Magazine's Recognition of Harris's Podcast

In 2018, PC Magazine included Harris's podcast in their list of "The Best Podcasts of 2018".

2018: Criticism of Donald Trump

In 2018, Sam Harris criticized Donald Trump for lying, stating that Trump "has assaulted truth more than anyone in human history".

2019: Inclusion on "100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People 2019" list

In 2019, Sam Harris was included on a list of the "100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People 2019" in the Watkins Review.

2019: Harris Discusses Eastern Traditions

In 2019, while discussing his book Waking Up: Searching for Spirituality Without Religion, Harris noted that the West could learn a lot from the East about the traditions of meditation found in Hinduism and Buddhism, though he considers that meditation can be practiced without any traditional religious beliefs.

January 2020: The Guardian's Recognition of Harris's Podcast

In January 2020, Max Sanderson included Harris's podcast as a "Producer pick" in a "podcasts of the week" section for The Guardian.

September 2020: Commitment to Donate Waking Up Profits

In September 2020, Sam Harris announced his commitment to donate at least 10% of Waking Up's profits to highly effective charities, becoming the first company to sign the Giving What We Can pledge for companies, retroactively from the app's launch.

September 2020: Membership in Giving What We Can

In September 2020, Sam Harris joined Giving What We Can, an effective altruism organization, pledging to donate at least 10% of his income to effective charities, both personally and through Waking Up.

November 2020: Statement on not identifying with the intellectual dark web

In November 2020, Sam Harris stated that he does not identify as a part of that group.

2020: Support for Andrew Yang and comments on Hunter Biden's laptop

In 2020, Sam Harris supported Andrew Yang in the Democratic primaries and introduced Yang to Joe Rogan. After the election, he dismissed the significance of Hunter Biden's laptop, arguing that even extreme scandals would not change his opposition to Donald Trump.

2021: Resignation from the 'Intellectual Dark Web'

In 2021, Sam Harris stated that he had "turn[ed] in [his] imaginary membership card to this imaginary organization", referring to the Intellectual Dark Web.

March 2023: Discussion on the origins of COVID-19

In March 2023, Sam Harris hosted Matt Ridley and Alina Chan on his podcast to discuss the origins of COVID-19 and the potential that the virus was made in a lab.

October 2023: Support for Israel during the Gaza war

In October 2023, during the Gaza war, Sam Harris voiced his support for Israel. He opposed the argument that Israeli settlements in the West Bank provoked Hamas, noting Gaza had not been occupied since 2005, and condemned the October 7 attacks.

2023: Reasons for leaving the Intellectual Dark Web

In 2023, during an interview with The Daily Beast, Sam Harris explained that he had broken away from the intellectual dark web due to disagreements with Bret Weinstein, and Maajid Nawaz's "obsession" with COVID-19 conspiracy theories and criticism of COVID-19 policies. He also expressed disappointment with Dave Rubin.

July 2, 2024: Interview on Bias Against Israel

On July 2, 2024, Sam Harris's interview with a former Knesset member discussed the bias against Israel at the United Nations, the nature of double standards, Israel's conduct in the war in Gaza, antisemitism, anti-Zionism, the "Zionism is racism" resolution at the UN, the lie that Israel is an apartheid state, the notion that Israel is perpetrating a 'genocide' against the Palestinians, the Marxist oppressed-oppressor narrative, and the false moral equivalence between the atrocities committed by Hamas and the deaths of noncombatants in Gaza.

2024: Endorsement of Kamala Harris and criticism of Democrats

In 2024, Sam Harris endorsed Kamala Harris in the United States presidential election. After Kamala Harris lost the election, he criticized Democrats for embracing identity politics, gender identity, and the Biden administration for poor handling of immigration at the southern border.

June 2025: Support for Operation Midnight Hammer

In June 2025, Sam Harris supported Operation Midnight Hammer, which authorized military strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities amid the ongoing Iran–Israel war.

July 2025: Reservations Regarding Support for Israel

In July 2025, Sam Harris wrote about his reservations regarding his support for Israel, citing allegations of corruption against Benjamin Netanyahu and the influence of religious extremists on the Israeli government, despite his previous support for the war.