Welcome to Litsy!

Too much of this book is going over my head. I don't like philosophy and Harris has so many conversations about consciousness in this book. It is making me feel dumb for not understanding what is being talked about. I suspect his podcast would make me feel the same, but I'm willing to listen with my husband around to answer questions for me.

His interview with On Tyranny author Timothy Snyder was fascinating, as was his interview with Glenn C. Loury. I consider that interview to be the most interesting and productive recent discussion on race in this country, certainly more productive than the ridiculous bile being spewed in Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility.

Sam Harris on Ta-Nehisi Coates

(Continued)...by your not following police commands? Unless you called the cop yourself, you never know what situation you're in. --Sam Harris

Glenn C. Loury

(Continued)

(Continued)...videos, we have a national narrative leading to a movement, leading to large demonstrations in dozens of cities across the country, leading in some instances to violent, retaliatory actions? --Glenn C. Loury

I view the maintenance of civilization and moral progress as a series of successful conversations. In fact, it seems to me that we perpetually confront a choice between conversation and violence. So when I see conversations reliably fail, I start to get worried. --Sam Harris

Timothy Snyder

(Continued)...there's a temptation to stay in power by undemocratic means.

--Timothy Snyder on the problem of gerrymandering, and how it can potentially lead to tyranny.

When Kellyanne Conway talks about "alternative facts" or our president says that journalists are the "enemy of the people," when Bannon says the media are an opposition party, what we have is not one set of facts versus another set of facts. We have people actually instructing Americans to be ignorant in a committed way. That's the language of authoritarianism. --Timothy Snyder