Making Sense with Sam Harris

Sam Harris holds a PhD in neuroscience from UCLA and a philosophy degree from Stanford, and Making Sense is where he puts both to work. This podcast tackles the kinds of questions most people avoid at dinner parties: consciousness, free will, morality, religion, AI risk, and the state of American democracy. Harris does not shy away from controversy, and he has a reputation for engaging with ideas that make people on both sides of the political spectrum uncomfortable. With 473 episodes and a 4.6-star rating from nearly 26,000 reviews, the show has built an enormous audience. Recent episodes have featured conversations with Sarah Longwell and Tim Miller from The Bulwark, Judea Pearl discussing antisemitism, and geopolitics expert Peter Zeihan. Harris also created the Waking Up meditation app, and that contemplative streak gives his interviews a thoughtful, deliberate pace. The format is straightforward: Harris and a guest talk through a topic for about an hour, sometimes longer. There are no gimmicks, no comedy bits, and no small talk. It is pure ideas and arguments. Harris is known for being precise with language almost to a fault, and he expects the same from his guests. If you are a Rogan listener who found yourself most engaged during the Sam Harris or Neil deGrasse Tyson episodes, where the conversation got genuinely intellectual, this podcast lives entirely in that zone.