“I think there are universal principles that we should want to understand, but that are not necessarily good for us. We could recognise universal propensities which current cultures can't fully eradicate, which we would want to eradicate if we could. Let's say, a tendency for tribal violence. Or racism.”

American neuroscientist, philosopher, author, and podcast host

Samuel Benjamin Harris is an American neuroscientist, philosopher, author, and podcast host. He became widely known for his criticism of religion and is often grouped with Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett as one of the "Four Horsemen" of New Atheism. His work ranges across rationality, ethics, free will, determinism, neuroscience, meditation, psychedelics, philosophy of mind, politics, terrorism, and artificial intelligence. Much of his public writing and speaking returns to questions about how people think, what they believe, and how reason should shape public life.