Christopher Hitchens' latest book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, has been getting a decent amount of press lately. A couple weeks ago The New Yorker surveyed several books rooting for the death of faith in the long-form review "Atheists With Attitude" by Anthony Gottlieb.To me the most interesting part of the story is the way the writer looks to Hume as perhaps the most effective proponent of secularism. The writer suggests that Hume's softball approach converted more souls (a spoonful of sugar to help the oblivion go down) than Hitchens' venoml or Dawkins' haughty intellectualism will ever woo.
The second review comes by way of one of my favorite cartoonists, Tony Millionaire. His one-page strip "God Is A Big Jerk" lets a little more air out of Hitchen's puffed shirt. Tony unpacks the strip a bit more in this blog post, where he adds "I also hate his stupid little American flag pin."
Who doesn't?
9 comments:
(I discussed this book with Mueller for a little bit when we went to the Chatterbox.)
At the risk of being unpeggable again I like Mr. Hitchens. He is a favorite of many political conservatives. (obviously not religious conservatives) Slate.com, not conservative, said, "Now if we could just get him on board about Iraq" when they talked about his new book.
I like him because he is causing a stir. He is regularly on the Hugh Hewit show where respectful disagreements on religion abound. I watched him on CNN and Charley Rose and the many websites upon which he is selling his wares. I also like him because he isn't just doing this to make money. Every time I have watched or read him his sense of astonishment about people still believing in religion is obvious and sincere. I also like is smugness and stuffyness. He is one of the few people like that that I can stand and I think he has earned it.
He is a great thinker. My favorite layer of this guy and his book is how a great thinker (rationalist) gets so emotional. He is more in control of his emotions than most but they are quite apparant just under the surface. I enjoy that paradox.
I haven't read the whole book and don't plan on it. From what I have read and heard I have just one complaint. He talks about all of the crap that religion has purpetrated on the planet, of which there is a ton, and blames God. (whom he doesn't believe is real) I take all of the crap religion has put this place through and lay blame where it belongs. On humans.
I never expected to hear Tim say that anyone isn't doing anything just to make money.
Food shelf? Total money scam. Hitchens? On the level.
I'm stunned.
For clarity: Tim has never actually said that food shelves are money scams.
I'm also a bit of fan of Hitchens' mostly unflappable coolness. Mostly it sticks in my craw the way the guy went to bat for the war.
I never 'implied' that about food shelves either.
:)
While money does make the world go 'round people do mostly act on feelings, beliefs or opinions. (much less on opinions)
AVK's comment is another example of you guys pegging me wrong.
Question(s): Do you guys have me pegged at all? Or do you guys have me pegged off of many many assumptions? Many of which have been off of late.
I often wonder what you guys think or assume about me. Especially since I am pretty open about everything. Just ask. But be ready for my long-winded almost practiced answer.
I've got you pegged as the guy who likes people to not be sure if they've got him pegged.
My statement was based on the fact that, in the past, you have discounted the opinion of anyone who happened to also be selling a book.
Namely, the authors of one of the Libertarian websites we've visited in the past and the author of one of the non-political personality tests we've been to.
Granted, you were dead on about the second one. I'm not sure why you think Hitchens is any different from the Libertarian guy (lucky for him, I can't remember his name).
I believe his name was Mr. Crazy McNotax.
Oh yeah, I remember that. Maybe Mr. H has built up some cred with me or somethin'.
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