What I'm asking you to entertain is that there is nothing we need to believe on insufficient evidence in order to have deeply ethical and spiritual lives.
Sam HarrisRead
Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness. We form friendships so that we can feel certain emotions, like love, and avoid others, like loneliness. We eat specific foods to enjoy their fleeting presence on our tongues. We read for the pleasure of thinking another person's thoughts.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the ways humans engage with the world to shape their emotional experiences.
In this quote, Sam Harris explores the motivations behind human actions, suggesting that everything we do is aimed at influencing our states of consciousness. From forming friendships to find connection and avoid loneliness, to choosing our food and reading for the joy of thought exchange, Harris highlights the profound relationship between our actions and the pursuit of specific emotional experiences.
Themes
ConsciousnessFriendshipEmotionsExperienceLife
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about mental well-being, one might say, 'Everything we do is for the purpose of altering consciousness.'
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It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fail.
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It is taboo in our society to criticize a persons religious faith... these taboos are offensive, deeply unreasonable, but worse than that, they are getting people killed. This is really my concern. My concern is that our religions, the diversity of our religious doctrines, is going to get us killed. I'm worried that our religious discourse- our religious beliefs are ultimately incompatible with civilization.
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It is time that scientists and other public intellectuals observed that the contest between faith and reason is zero-sum.
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It is also true that the less competent a person is in a given domain, the more he will tend to overestimate his abilities. This often produces an ugly marriage of confidence and ignorance that is very difficult to correct for.
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