RE: The God Delusion: Your opinions on it?
January 22, 2015 at 2:35 am
(This post was last modified: January 22, 2015 at 3:52 am by Alex K.)
I read it when it came out 8 years ago, so I may have some memory holes. I remember thinking it was a light read and quite entertaining. If you've hung around these here forums for a while and followed the various discussions that are available, it probably won't contain much absolutely mind-blowing that you haven't heard of before, but it's still fun.
I don't know about PhD historians, but he was insanely widely read and simply liked a bit of name-dropping and inside-jokey posturing. I've got an acquaintance who also comes from this communist leftie corner, is extremely literate, who likes to do the same thing on a smaller scale even in conversation.
It can rightly be said that Hitchens was the king of literary references. But remember, dear comrades, that such coronation is not without its own perils - as Tom Paine famously noted: though we have been wise enough to shut and lock a door against absolute Monarchy, we at the same time have been foolish enough to put the Crown in possession of the key. But was he, as rather questionable democrat Edward VIII once said of himself, truly the last king-emperor of atheist wit?
(January 21, 2015 at 11:40 pm)Brian37 Wrote: All the other stuff like Hitch 22 he spends too much time name dropping historical figures no one has ever heard of. Not knocking his education, but most of his books were written for PHD historians and not a general public.
I don't know about PhD historians, but he was insanely widely read and simply liked a bit of name-dropping and inside-jokey posturing. I've got an acquaintance who also comes from this communist leftie corner, is extremely literate, who likes to do the same thing on a smaller scale even in conversation.
It can rightly be said that Hitchens was the king of literary references. But remember, dear comrades, that such coronation is not without its own perils - as Tom Paine famously noted: though we have been wise enough to shut and lock a door against absolute Monarchy, we at the same time have been foolish enough to put the Crown in possession of the key. But was he, as rather questionable democrat Edward VIII once said of himself, truly the last king-emperor of atheist wit?
The fool hath said in his heart, There is a God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
Psalm 14, KJV revised edition
