{"id":4807,"date":"2025-02-21T05:40:01","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T05:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/?p=4807"},"modified":"2025-12-10T13:01:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T13:01:28","slug":"christopher-hitchens-the-great-contrarian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/christopher-hitchens-the-great-contrarian\/","title":{"rendered":"Christopher Hitchens: The Great Contrarian"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-path-to-node=\"1\"><b>Christopher Eric Hitchens<\/b> (1949\u20132011) was an influential Anglo-American journalist, author, literary critic, and public intellectual. Known for his powerful rhetoric and trenchant polemics, he cultivated a reputation as a leading <b>contrarian<\/b> whose views evolved significantly\u2014from a dedicated socialist and anti-war activist to a staunch supporter of the Iraq War and a leading voice of the <b>&#8220;New Atheism&#8221;<\/b> movement.<\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"2\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"3\">Key Biographical Information<\/h3>\n<table data-path-to-node=\"4\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>Detail<\/strong><\/td>\n<td><strong>Information<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,0,0\"><b>Born<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,1,1,0\">April 13, 1949, Portsmouth, England<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,0,0\"><b>Died<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,2,1,0\">December 15, 2011 (aged 62), Houston, Texas, U.S.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,0,0\"><b>Citizenship<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,3,1,0\">UK and US (from 2007)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,0,0\"><b>Key Occupation<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,4,1,0\">Journalist (Vanity Fair, The Nation, Slate), Author, Debater<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,0,0\"><b>Education<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,5,1,0\">Balliol College, Oxford (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,0,0\"><b>Major Works<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td><span data-path-to-node=\"4,6,1,0\"><i>God Is Not Great<\/i>, <i>Hitch-22<\/i> (Memoir), <i>The Missionary Position<\/i>, <i>The Trial of Henry Kissinger<\/i><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"5\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"6\">Career and Evolution of Political Views<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"7\">Hitchens&#8217;s career spanned over four decades, during which he wrote for major publications on both sides of the Atlantic, maintaining a deeply independent and provocative stance.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"8\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"><b>The Left-Wing Journalist (1970s\u20131990s):<\/b> Hitchens began his career in the UK writing for left-wing publications like the <b><i>New Statesman<\/i><\/b>. After moving to the U.S. in 1981, he penned the &#8220;Minority Report&#8221; column for the liberal magazine, <b><i>The Nation<\/i><\/b>. During this period, he was a self-described <b>democratic socialist<\/b> and a vocal critic of U.S. foreign policy, particularly its involvement in Vietnam, Chile, and East Timor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"><b>The Shift (Post-9\/11):<\/b> His views underwent a dramatic change following the <b>September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks<\/b>. Hitchens became a passionate advocate for the <b>War in Iraq<\/b> and the removal of Saddam Hussein, arguing for an interventionist defense of civilization against what he termed &#8220;fascism with an Islamic face.&#8221; This stance led him to break with many of his liberal and leftist allies and align himself with elements of <b>neoconservatism<\/b>. He later described himself as a <b>Marxist<\/b> who nonetheless sympathized with some libertarian ideals of limited state interference.<\/p><div class=\"03bb5c02e2f58c6bb7f372bc13011e34\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;\"><span style=\"font-size:10px;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/span><\/p>\r\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ZXZ -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8677361123316975\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3054782407\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br><br \/>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"9\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"10\">Key Controversies and Critical Targets<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"11\">Hitchens was known for his polemical books that subjected influential figures and institutions to scathing critiques.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"12\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,0,0\"><b>Mother Teresa:<\/b> In his book, <b><i>The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice<\/i><\/b> (1995), Hitchens sharply criticized the now-canonized nun. His allegations included that she was a &#8220;friend of poverty&#8221; rather than the poor, that she opposed the only known cures for poverty (empowerment of women and emancipation from compulsory reproduction), and that she supported dictators, including <b>Jean-Claude Duvalier<\/b> (the subject of a previous question).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,1,0\"><b>Bill Clinton:<\/b> His book <b><i>No One Left to Lie To<\/i><\/b> (1999) detailed his criticisms of U.S. President Bill Clinton, whom he accused of various indiscretions and dishonesty.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"12,2,0\"><b>Henry Kissinger:<\/b> In <b><i>The Trial of Henry Kissinger<\/i><\/b> (2001), Hitchens argued that the former Secretary of State should be prosecuted for war crimes, citing his alleged role in atrocities in Chile, Argentina, and East Timor.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr data-path-to-node=\"13\" \/>\n<h3 data-path-to-node=\"14\">Atheism and the &#8220;New Atheism&#8221; Movement<\/h3>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"15\">In his later years, Hitchens became internationally renowned as a leading figure in the &#8220;New Atheism&#8221; movement, alongside Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Daniel Dennett.<\/p>\n<ul data-path-to-node=\"16\">\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16,0,0\"><b><i>God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything<\/i><\/b> (2007): This book became a bestseller and served as his magnum opus in his decades-long critique of organized religion.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16,1,0\"><b>Antitheism:<\/b> Hitchens described himself as an <b>antitheist<\/b>, believing that religion is not merely false, but actively <b>harmful and authoritarian<\/b>, arguing that science and philosophy are superior ethical codes for human civilization. He famously stated that <b>&#8220;What can be asserted without evidence can also be dismissed without evidence.&#8221;<\/b><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"16,2,0\"><b>Debates:<\/b> He frequently appeared on television and lecture circuits, engaging in high-profile debates with religious and political figures, establishing himself as one of the most brilliant and formidable rhetoricians of his era.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-path-to-node=\"17\">Hitchens died in 2011 from complications related to esophageal cancer. His final work, <b><i>Mortality<\/i><\/b> (2012), was a collection of essays reflecting on his illness and the nature of life without faith.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Christopher Eric Hitchens (1949\u20132011) was an influential Anglo-American journalist, author, literary critic, and public intellectual. Known for his powerful rhetoric [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-offbeat"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4808,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4807\/revisions\/4808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xeroltha.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}