logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2023
46m 19s

#126 — In Defense of Honor

SAM HARRIS
About this episode

Sam Harris speaks with Tamler Sommers about cultures of honor. They discuss the difference between honor and dignity, “justice porn,” honor killings, honor and interpersonal violence, prison and gang culture, collective responsibility and collective punishment, retributive vs restorative justice, the ethics of forgiveness and redemption, #metoo, and other topics.

Tamler Sommers is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. He is the host of the podcast “Very Bad Wizards” and holds a PhD in philosophy from Duke University. He is the author of Why Honor Matters.

Twitter: @tamler

 

Episodes that have been re-released as part of the Best of Making Sense series may have been edited for relevance since their original airing.

Up next
Nov 2023
#175 — Leaving the Faith
Sam Harris speaks with Yasmine Mohammed about her book Unveiled: How Western Liberals Empower Radical Islam. They discuss her family background and indoctrination into conservative Islam, the double standard that Western liberals use when thinking about women in the Muslim commun ... Show More
1h 20m
Nov 2023
#151 — Will We Destroy the Future?
Sam Harris speaks with Nick Bostrom about the problem of existential risk. They discuss public goods, moral illusions, the asymmetry between happiness and suffering, utilitarianism, “the vulnerable world hypothesis,” the history of nuclear deterrence, the possible need for “turnk ... Show More
1h 33m
Nov 2023
#207 — Can We Pull Back From The Brink?
Sam discusses the 2020 social protests and civil unrest, in light of what we know about racism and police violence in America.   Episodes that have been re-released as part of the Best of Making Sense series may have been edited for relevance since their original airing. 
1h 53m
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2012
Episode 4: Revenge, Pt. 1
Dave allows Tamler to rant about Sam Harris’s strawman attacks on moral relativism before launching into discussion about revenge, justice, True Grit, and Michael Dukakis. Though they differ on many issues, Tamler and Dave agree that it’s hard to satirize a guy with shiny boots. ... Show More
51m 35s
Nov 2014
Episode 56: Moral Heroes and Drunk Utilitarians
Following up their discussion of moral villains, Dave and Tamler argue about what makes a moral hero. Tamler defends Sharon Krause’s view that honor values can motivate heroic behavior. Dave accuses Tamler of being inconsistent (nothing wrong with that) and slightly Kantian (NOOO ... Show More
1h 10m
Jan 2023
#309 — Vulnerability, Politics, and Moral Worth
Sam Harris speaks with Martha C. Nussbaum about her philosophical work. They discuss the relevance of philosophy to personal and political problems, the influence of religion, the problem of dogmatism, the importance of Greek and Roman philosophy for modern thought, the Stoic vie ... Show More
45m 26s
May 2022
#281 — Western Culture and Its Discontents
Sam Harris speaks with Douglas Murray about his new book, “The War on the West.” They discuss the problem of hyper partisanship on the Left and Right, the primacy of culture, Hunter Biden’s laptop, the de-platforming of Trump and Alex Jones, the new religion of anti-racism, the p ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 2021
Special: Interview with Sam Harris on Gurus, Tribalism & the Culture War
Sam Harris probably needs no introduction in our neck of the info-sphere as he is seemingly never far from the spotlight... or the occasional controversy.We’ve had some nice things to say about Sam, but we’ve also made some harsh criticisms, particularly regarding a short episode ... Show More
3h 6m
Jan 2013
Episode 12: Justice for #!$@ ?
Dave and Tamler square off the role of the victim in criminal punishment and find little to agree about. Tamler defends the restorative justice approach, while Dave expresses skepticism about its value and worries it might even be damaging. Arguments ensue, but be sure to stick a ... Show More
1h 13m
Jun 2024
#371 — What the Hell Is Happening?
Sam Harris speaks to Bill Maher about the state of the world. They discuss the aftermath of October 7th, the cowardice and confusion of many celebrities, gender apartheid, the failures of the Biden campaign, Bill’s relationship to his audience, the differences between the left an ... Show More
43m 53s
Oct 2012
Episode 5: Revenge, Pt. 2: The Revenge
Dave and Tamler continue their discussion about their favorite topic.  They talk about the evolutionary origins of retributive behavior, cross-cultural differences in revenge norms, and the proportionate punishment for someone who gives your wife a foot massage. They also play a ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2024
#353 — Race & Reason
Sam Harris speaks with Coleman Hughes about race, racism, and social justice. They discuss the ideal of "color blindness," race and crime, Coleman's experience at TED, LatinX, the confusion of the elites, Ibram X. Kendi, affirmative action, class differences, poverty, single-pare ... Show More
56m 17s
Jan 2023
Making Sense of Encounters With Violence | Episode 4 of The Essential Sam Harris
This episode centers around the specter of violence and surfaces some of Sam’s most controversial positions and difficult conversations. We begin with author and former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss, who delivers some potentially life-saving aspects of “tactical empathy,” whi ... Show More
36m 19s