So who is Sam Harris, and what has he done to upset Ben Affleck?

Sam Harris believes liberals are unwilling to confront Islam. Photo: Jeremy Danger

For a man dedicated to promoting the virtues of tolerance and reason, Sam Harris can come across as notably intolerant.

A high-profile US neuroscientist, author and philosopher, Harris is a co-founder of a science-based activist group called Project Reason. He is also a leading light in the New Atheist movement, which differs from the old atheist movement by the willingness of its members to vociferously oppose demagogues motivated more by gods than evidence.

Harris, whose books include The End of Faith and The Moral Landscape, is a polarising figure on the American and international Left. He is a fierce critic of all religions, but many people feel his attacks on Islam are disproportionately savage and bitter. In this