Portrait of Sam Harris
Center-left · Thinker or writer · Active today

Sam Harris

American neuroscientist and author

See how United States compares →

An atheist writer and podcaster who defends secular rationalism, criticizes religious extremism, and argues that science can inform questions of morality.

Sam Harris sits in the right-libertarian part of the Caucus economy and liberty compass: centered on economy and slightly libertarian. The clearest positions are strongly secular on religion, strongly progressive on culture and leaning strength-first on war and peace. The profile is close to the middle on economy.

Read more about Sam Harris on Wikipedia →

Where Sam Harris sits on ten dimensions

Each scale runs from one pole to the other, and the dot shows the overall tendency of this person's record and public life. These are simplified estimates and open to debate.

💰EconomyCentered on economy
State-ledFree market
⚖️Liberty and authoritySlightly libertarian
LibertarianAuthoritarian
🎭CultureStrongly progressive
ProgressiveTraditional
🌍NationSlightly globalist
GlobalistNationalist
🌱EnvironmentLeaning nature-first
Growth-firstNature-first
🤖TechnologyLeaning tech-optimist
Tech-cautiousTech-optimist
🕊️War and peaceLeaning strength-first
Peace-firstStrength-first
🏛️InstitutionsLeaning institutional
Anti-establishmentInstitutional
🙏ReligionStrongly secular
SecularReligious
🛡️InterventionismLeaning interventionist
Non-interventionistInterventionist

People most like Sam Harris

Rob Jetten Prime Minister of the Netherlands, 2026 to present97%Jonas Gahr Støre Prime Minister of Norway, 2021 to present97%François Hollande President of France, 2012 to 201797%Emmanuel Macron President of France, 2017 to present96%Mark Carney Prime Minister of Canada, 2025 to present95%Anthony Albanese Prime Minister of Australia, 2022 to present95%Keir Starmer UK Prime Minister, 2024 to 202695%Tsai Ing-wen President of Taiwan, 2016 to 202494%

People furthest from Sam Harris

Dorothy Day American journalist and Catholic Worker founder, 1897 to 19808%Leo Tolstoy Russian novelist and moral thinker, 1828 to 19109%Hibatullah Akhundzada Supreme Leader of Afghanistan, 2021 to present10%Jair Bolsonaro President of Brazil, 2019 to 202211%

Political views closest to Sam Harris

Humanitarian interventionismHolds that outside powers may use force to stop genocide and mass atrocities, even…94%Third Way centrismCombines market economics with moderate social policy and pragmatic problem solving.94%Social liberalismDefends individual rights and open societies while backing public services and equal…93%ProgressivismUses government to advance social equality, civil rights and reform.93%

Read more about Sam Harris

These links open book searches on Amazon. If you buy through them, Caucus earns a small commission at no extra cost to you. They have no influence on where anyone is placed on the map.

Biographies of Sam HarrisBooks on humanitarian interventionism

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Percentages show how close two profiles are across all ten dimensions. Including a person here is for study and comparison, not approval. Portrait: Cmichel67 (Christopher Michel), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; see all photo credits.