Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#468 - More From Sam: Gratitude, Bad Conversations, Conspiracy Addiction, Waffle House Teleportation, and More

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss how to cultivate gratitude and navigate anxiety in uncertain times, the role of mindfulness in coping with AI-driven job displacement, the slowing of religious decline in America, a FEMA official's claim that he teleported to a Waffle House, the irresponsibility of conspiracy-fueled podcasting, Sam on which conversations are worth having, and other topics. Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/468-more-from-sam-gratitude-bad-conversations-conspiracy-addiction-waffle-house-teleportation-and-more

#467 - EA, AI, and the End of Work

Sam Harris speaks with William MacAskill about effective altruism, AI, and the future of humanity. They discuss the post-FTX recovery of the EA movement, global health and pandemic preparedness, the limits of quantifiable ethics, the intelligence explosion, risks of concentrated AI power, what a post-scarcity world might look like, and other topics. Will MacAskill is an associate professor of moral philosophy at Oxford University, and author of Doing Good Better, Moral Uncertainty and What We Owe The Future. He cofounded the nonprofits 80,000 Hours, Centre for Effective Altruism, and Giving What We Can, and helped to launch the effective altruism movement, which encourages people to use their time and money to support the projects that are most effectively making the world a better place. Website: https://www.givingwhatwecan.org/ X: @willmacaskill Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/467-ea-ai-and-the-end-of-work

#466 - What Is Technology Doing to Us?

Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about technology, society, and human nature. They discuss the harms of modern communication technology, polarization and anomie, how AI agents can improve human cooperation, the social implications of humanoid robots, Christakis’s experience at the center of the woke moral panic at Yale, the Trump administration’s assault on American universities and science, the collapse of public trust in institutions, and other topics. Nicholas A. Christakis, MD, PhD, MPH, is the Sterling Professor of Social and Natural Science at Yale University. His work is in the fields of network science and biosocial science. He directs the Human Nature Lab and is the Co-Director of the Yale Institute for Network Science. He was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2006; the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010; the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2017; and the National Academy of Sciences in 2024. Website: https://humannaturelab.net/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NAChristakis X: @NAChristakis Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/466-what-is-technology-doing-to-us

#465 - More From Sam: Iran, Jihadism, Conspiracism, AI Disruption, the Manosphere, and More

In this latest episode of the More From Sam series, Sam and Jaron talk about current events. They discuss the Iran war and the Trump administration’s shambolic messaging, antisemitism and moral confusion on the left and right, the spread of conspiracism, finding contentment in uncertain times, AI’s looming disruption of white-collar work, wealth inequality and the ultra-rich’s failures of philanthropy, Louis Theroux’s documentary on the manosphere, and other topics. Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/465-more-from-sam-iran-jihadism-conspiracism-ai-disruption-the-manosphere-and-more

#464 - The Politics of Pragmatism and the Future of California

Sam Harris speaks with Matt Mahan, mayor of San Jose and Democratic candidate for governor of California, about governance, pragmatism, and California's policy failures. They discuss the dysfunction of progressive governance, the homelessness crisis and what San Jose has done to reduce it, the proposed wealth tax and its likely backfire, why California can't build housing affordably, rent control, mandatory psychiatric holds, the influence of special interests in Sacramento, and other topics. Matt Mahan is the Mayor of San Jose and a candidate for Governor of California. Raised in Watsonville and a Harvard graduate, he began his career in the Peace Corps before teaching on San Jose's East Side. He went on to lead two civic tech startups, Causes and Brigade, focused on civic engagement and nonprofit support. Elected Mayor in 2022, Mahan has made homelessness and public safety his central priorities. Under his leadership, San Jose reduced unsheltered homelessness by nearly a third through the largest expansion of emergency shelter on the West Coast, and earned recognition as the safest big city in America. He has also worked to accelerate housing development by cutting permitting costs and timelines, and took on utility companies to lower energy costs for residents. In 2024, he was re-elected with 87% of the vote and helped lead the passage of Proposition 36, a statewide ballot measure enabling mandated treatment for repeat offenders in cases involving retail theft, homelessness, and addiction. He announced his run for California governor in January 2026. Website: https://mahanforcalifornia.com X: https://x.com/MattMahanSJ Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/464-the-politics-of-pragmatism-and-the-future-of-california