Waking Up

A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion

Summary:
For the millions of people seeking spirituality without religion, Sam Harris's new book serves as a guide to meditation as a rational spiritual practice shaped by neuroscience and psychology. From the bestselling author, neuroscientist, and "new atheist" Sam Harris, "Waking Up" is aimed at the growing number of individuals who do not belong to any religion but suspect that Jesus, Buddha, Laozi, Rumi, and other saints and sages throughout history could not all have been epileptics, schizophrenics, or frauds. Throughout the book, Harris argues that there are important truths to be discovered in the experiences of such contemplatives and that there is therefore more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow. "Waking Up" is partly the memoir of a seeker and partly an exploration of the scientific foundations of spirituality. No other book brings together contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no other author besides Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and renowned skeptic—could write it.