(Harris) takes note of the fact that certain modes of Eastern spirituality are compatible with atheism. That in of itself is not particularly controversial; a few schools of Hindu philosophy and much of Buddhism are avowedly atheist. Nor is Harris’s endorse­ment of meditation likely to upset very many atheists or humanists. Few of them would challenge his call for more scientific re­search on the psychological and physiological effects of various spiritual practices. But many atheists do take exception to his argument that certain varieties of Eastern mysticism are not only “rational” but also “scientific” and can reveal truths about the nature of reality outside the organism.