Comments

1. Hj Hornbeck says

   October 15, 2014 at 5:15 pm

   I doubt it’ll have much impact on Harris’ views, though. Anyone remember the airport profiling debacle? Here’s Harris’ current opinion of the entire thing:

   One line in my article raised a tsunami of contempt for me in liberal and secular circles:

   We should profile Muslims, or anyone who looks like he or she could conceivably be Muslim, and we should be honest about it.

   Of course, many of my detractors (like Greenwald) have used this quotation in ways calculated to make readers believe that I want dark-skinned people singled out—and not just in our airports, but everywhere. What my critics always neglect to say, however, is that in the article in which that sentence appears, I explicitly include white, middle-aged men like me in the profile (twice). […]

   My position on profiling is very simple: We should admit that we know what we are looking for (suicidal terrorists) and that certain people obviously require less scrutiny than others. We should scan everyone’s luggage, of course, because bombs can be placed there without a person’s knowledge. But given scarce resources, we can’t afford to waste our time and attention pretending to think that every traveller is equally likely to be affiliated with al Qaeda.

   No movement whatsoever, despite collaborating with a recognized expert on the subject.

2. Ophelia Benson says

   October 15, 2014 at 5:17 pm

   Well, you’re probably right. Sigh.

3. R Johnston says

   October 15, 2014 at 5:45 pm

   That could do some good.

   More likely it could ruin Maajid Nawaz’s reputation. Playing nice with an unrepentant islamophobic bigot like Harris, pretending that he has something useful and informed to say on any topics they might plausibly be collaborating on, can do that to a man.

4. Anthony K says

   October 15, 2014 at 6:07 pm

   Wait, why would an atheist thought leader change their perspective just because they’re confronted with evidence and expertise? Once you’ve decided there isn’t a god, you’re automatically a genius philosopher, unless you have a vagina.

5. Silentbob says

   October 15, 2014 at 8:07 pm

   @ 4 Anthony K

   Oh, come now. Vagina havers can still be Honorary Genius Philosophers provided they confirm the prejudices of existing Genius Philosophers. (see Hirsi Ali, Hoff Sommers)

6. Folie Deuce says

   October 16, 2014 at 5:36 am

   Whether or not Sam changes his views on anything, the exchange of ideas between the two will likely be very interesting. I enjoyed reading the exchange between Sam and the security expert on profiling and while my views on profiling did not change I did learn a few things in the process.