Published debate record
8 eligible one-on-one scorecards. Average published score: 81.1/100. Scores describe these debates, not the person's overall ability or worth.
William Lane Craig vs Sam Harris: The God Debate II · 2011
Craig defended divine nature and commands as morality's foundation; Harris grounded value in conscious well-being, producing evenly matched strengths and unresolved explanatory burdens.
William Lane Craig: 79 · Sam Harris: 79. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Sam Harris vs Alex O'Connor: Objective Morality and Emotivism · 2024
Harris grounds evaluative direction in conscious experience, while O'Connor distinguishes subjective destinations from objective means and denies that flourishing requires moral truth.
Sam Harris: 77 · Alex O'Connor: 88. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Sam Harris vs Jordan Peterson: God, Atheism, The Bible, Jesus · 2018
Peterson defends religious narrative as moral mediation and embodied guidance; Harris argues that well-being, causal inquiry, and revisability provide clearer secular foundations.
Jordan Peterson: 78 · Sam Harris: 84. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Sam Harris vs Daniel Dennett: Does Free Will Exist? · 2018
Harris challenges ultimate authorship under causation, while Dennett defends graded, reasons-responsive control and pragmatic responsibility without metaphysical self-creation.
Sam Harris: 82 · Daniel Dennett: 88. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Sam Harris vs Dennis Prager: Religion, Morality, and Public Reason · 2014
Prager defends divine authority through moral durability and historical performance; Harris advances conscious wellbeing, open inquiry, and cooperation while challenging scriptural reliability.
Dennis Prager: 70 · Sam Harris: 81. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Religion, Science, and Meaning: Sam Harris vs. David Wolpe · 2007
Sam Harris wins for scientific naturalism and evidential skepticism, defeating David Wolpe’s religious meaning and transcendent faith position by the locked 83-68 score.
David Wolpe: 68 · Sam Harris: 83. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Jordan Peterson vs Sam Harris: Can Religious Narratives Ground Morality and Meaning? · 2018
Harris wins narrowly by separating religious narratives’ genuine usefulness from truth and necessity, while Peterson exposes unresolved problems in secular value selection.
Jordan Peterson: 75 · Sam Harris: 81. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.
Sam Harris vs Jonathan Haidt — Religion, moral truth, and human flourishing · 2016
Two naturalists contest whether broad well-being can ground moral truth, with Harris strongest on scope and Haidt strongest on psychology, institutions, and plural goods.
Sam Harris: 82 · Jonathan Haidt: 82. Scores assess the reasoning in this debate.