Role of spirituality Harris rejects the dichotomy between spirituality and rationality, and seeks to define a middle path that preserves spirituality and science but does not involve religion. He writes that spirituality should be understood in light of scientific disciplines like
neuroscience and
psychology. He explores various positions on the
mind-body problem but states that the solution may lie beyond the capabilities of human reason. Harris writes that the purpose of spirituality (as he defines it – he says the term's uses are diverse and sometimes indefensible) is to become aware that our sense of self is illusory, and says that this realization brings both happiness and insight into the nature of
consciousness. In this vein, he describes some of his own deep spiritual experiences, but does not interpret them as evidence, for instance, of
Christian,
Hindu, or
Buddhist metaphysics, as he says adherents of those religions likely would. He defends a segment of English spiritual author
Douglas Harding's book
On Having No Head against the sharp criticisms of cognitive scientist
Douglas Hofstadter. By contrast, he criticizes
Eben Alexander's Christian interpretation of a
near-death experience in
Proof of Heaven at length as filled with unwarranted assumptions. ==Reception==