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Sam Harris's Reading List

Neuroscientist, philosopher, and host of the Making Sense podcast; founder of the Waking Up meditation app, focused on AI safety, ethics, and secular spirituality.

Narrative Non-Fiction & Society (2026)

Long-form journalism and ethnography Harris recommends as windows into how societies go right or wrong.

Source: www.samharris.org

In Cold Blood

Truman Capote · 1966 · Buy on Amazon

"How narrative non-fiction can be masterfully written."

Machete Season

Jean Hatzfeld · 2003 · Buy on Amazon

"Chilling account of the Rwandan genocide from the killers' perspective — a study in how society can go as wrong as it can go."

The Anatomy of Disgust

William Ian Miller · 1997 · Buy on Amazon

"Fun and insightful regarding a core human emotion."

Spirituality & Consciousness (2026)

Texts behind Harris's Waking Up app and his secular approach to contemplative practice.

Source: www.wakingup.com

The Flight of the Garuda

Keith Dowman · 1994 · Buy on Amazon

"A Dzogchen text Harris finds especially beautiful and wise."

On Having No Head: Zen and the Rediscovery of the Obvious

Douglas Harding · 1961 · Buy on Amazon

"A short but influential book on the headless way of experiencing consciousness; integrated into Waking Up."

I Am That

Nisargadatta Maharaj · 1973 · Buy on Amazon

"Recommended for its insights into the nature of experience, despite some traditional guru-style claims."

AI & The Future of Humanity (2026)

The two books Harris cites most often when arguing for taking AI risk seriously.

Source: www.samharris.org

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies

Nick Bostrom · 2014 · Buy on Amazon

"The catalyst for his concerns regarding the control problem in artificial intelligence."

Our Final Invention

James Barrat · 2013 · Buy on Amazon

"A key recommendation regarding the existential risks posed by AI."

Philosophy & Ethics (2026)

Foundational ethics and personal-identity texts Harris returns to on Making Sense.

Source: www.samharris.org

Reasons and Persons

Derek Parfit · 1984 · Buy on Amazon

"Brilliant and written as though by an alien intelligence — on the nature of personal identity and morality."

Mortal Questions

Thomas Nagel · 1979 · Buy on Amazon

"Long-time fan of Nagel's defenses of rationality and essays on the philosophical problem of the soul."

The Last Word

Thomas Nagel · 1997 · Buy on Amazon

"Companion to Mortal Questions — Nagel's defense of objective reason."

What We Owe the Future

William MacAskill · 2022 · Buy on Amazon

"A central text for Effective Altruism, discussed extensively on the podcast."

Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress

Steven Pinker · 2018 · Buy on Amazon

"First book for his official Book Club — a data-driven defense of reason and humanism."

Science & Neuroscience (2026)

Sam Harris's most-recommended titles on the brain, biology, and the psychology of decision-making.

Source: www.samharris.org

Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst

Robert M. Sapolsky · 2017 · Buy on Amazon

"The most accessible discussion of brain science available — why we do the things we do, biologically."

The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World

David Deutsch · 2011 · Buy on Amazon

"A staple recommendation; expanded his understanding of the potential of human knowledge and progress."

Stumbling on Happiness

Daniel Gilbert · 2006 · Buy on Amazon

"How our brains systematically misjudge what will make us happy in the future."

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