Episode
120: Sam Harris on tribalism, religion, and what actually saves us
- Podcast
- Ask Haviv Anything
- Published
- Jun 1, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 6935
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
To support our work, please consider joining our Patreon community ( https://www.patreon.com/c/AskHavivAnything ), Substack ( https://havivgur.substack.com/ ), or Buy Me a Coffee ( https://buymeacoffee.com/havivrettiggur ). And be sure to check us out on Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/haviv.rettig.gur/ ) and TikTok ( https://www.tiktok.com/@haviv.rettig.gur ). — Haviv sits down with philosopher, neuroscientist and podcaster Sam Harris to explore the moral and informational crisis gripping the West. Sam explains why his defense of Israel has nothing to do with identity politics and everything to do with the long-term threat of jihadism to open societies, a position he has held consistently since 9/11. We dissect the profound generational shift in attitudes toward Israel and Jews, backed by stark polling data on Holocaust denial and acceptance of political violence among young Americans. We explore how social media shattered our shared reality, creating a “funhouse mirror” effect that radicalizes both sides while making coherent moral reasoning nearly impossible; the rise of antisemitic conspiracy thinking on the right, particularly Tucker Carlson’s evolving rhetoric and the laundering of extreme voices; and we debate tribalism, dogmatism, the limits of secularism, and whether healthy particularism can survive in open societies. An honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversation on trying to make sense of a world that doesn’t seem to anymore. -- This week’s episode is sponsored by Leah. The episode is dedicated "to my son Noah, who told me, 'I thought your stories of antisemitism were long ago and far away, it's a bit shocking to live through what's happening now'; to all young Jewish Americans experiencing a similar awakening; and to Haviv and Rachel, who are g…