That's funny because I thought he was—while challenging and pulling no punches—accessible to most people.
Hitchens and Dawkins are really confrontation and turn a lot of people off if not invoke anger and vitriol (that is not to say I do not like that!). Daniel Dennett and Victor Stenger are really cerebral and professiorial which to a lot of people is hard to follow.
I think it's the mockery: although this is amusing from an atheist viewpoint, it can have the effect of making the believer feel belittled and defensive. Ultimately this can lead to positions becoming entrenched, and believers will not ask the searching questions necessary to free themselves of faith. I'm not saying this is all Harris does - it certainly isn't - but the mockery often dominates the "Best of" reels found on YouTube.
Someone like Michael Shermer comes across in a likeable and understanding way, and actively promotes the skeptical approach believers need to adopt to reason their way out of religion.
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I do love Sam Harris, and find him very watchable and entertaining, but I do wonder if his style can convert anyone from theism to atheism.
That's funny because I thought he was—while challenging and pulling no punches—accessible to most people.
Hitchens and Dawkins are really confrontation and turn a lot of people off if not invoke anger and vitriol (that is not to say I do not like that!). Daniel Dennett and Victor Stenger are really cerebral and professiorial which to a lot of people is hard to follow.
I think it's the mockery: although this is amusing from an atheist viewpoint, it can have the effect of making the believer feel belittled and defensive. Ultimately this can lead to positions becoming entrenched, and believers will not ask the searching questions necessary to free themselves of faith. I'm not saying this is all Harris does - it certainly isn't - but the mockery often dominates the "Best of" reels found on YouTube.
Someone like Michael Shermer comes across in a likeable and understanding way, and actively promotes the skeptical approach believers need to adopt to reason their way out of religion.
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