In podcast episode 163, Sam refers to a famous Chris Rock skit and the controversy it brought forth as having been “midwifed”.
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Sam Harris Dictionary: Perfunctory
Sam Harris sometimes uses the word perfunctory on his podcast. Perfunctory describes the way someone performs an action without thinking about it… Usually in an apparently non-caring, lackadaisical way… per·func·to·ry pərˈfəNG(k)t(ə)rē adjective (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection. In using perfunctory in a sentence, you could say: “Finally, she completed her new Facebook user registration with a perfunctory agreement to the social network’s Terms and Conditions.”
Read MoreSam Harris Dictionary: Apocryphal
Sam Harris often uses the word apocryphal on his Waking Up podcast… The regular use of apocryphal shouldn’t be surprising when one considers that Sam basically calls bullshit for a living. Apocryphal is used to describe statements or stories that are widely believed to be true, but aren’t. a·poc·ry·phal adjective (of a story or statement) of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true. Example: “an apocryphal story about a former president” synonyms: fictitious, made-up, untrue, fabricated, false, spurious
Read MoreSam Harris Dictionary: Epistemology
Sam Harris sometimes uses the word “epistemology” or “epistemological” on his Waking Up Podcast. The word epistemology is derived from the Greek “episteme”, meaning knowledge. Epistemology studies the nature of knowledge, justification and the rationality of belief. The French philosopher Michel Foucault believed an episteme represented a framework of ideas, beliefs, prejudices, norms and conventions that humans use as a system for thinking. According to the book “Whiplash” by Joi Ito and Jeff Howe, Foucault believed that humans followed varying systems of ideas throughout time. He believed that evidence of human…
Read MoreSam Harris Dictionary: Orthogonal
The word orthogonal is often used by Sam Harris on his podcast. Orthogonal is a 25 cent word that may be hard to naturally work into a sentence, unless of course you’re a neuroscientist. When Sam uses the word orthogonal, he could be using it in mathematical terms, as in the meaning “of a right angle”… But more likely he is using orthogonal when making a point in a debate about one thing being unrelated to some other thing. For instance, if you were in a debate with someone about…
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