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Christopher Hitchens

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever Paperback – November 6, 2007

by Christopher Hitchens (Editor, Introduction)

4.6 1,306 ratings

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Christopher Hitchens's personally curated New York Times bestselling anthology of the most influential and important writings on atheism, including original pieces by Salman Rushdie and Ian McEwan

From the #1 New York Times best-selling author of God Is Not Great, a provocative and entertaining guided tour of atheist and agnostic thought through the ages--with never-before-published pieces by Salman Rushdie, Ian McEwan, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices--past and present--that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, you'll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific inquiry, including generous portions of the words of Lucretius, Benedict de Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, George Eliot, Bertrand Russell, Emma Goldman, H. L. Mencken, Albert Einstein, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris, Richard Dawkins, and many others well-known and lesser known. And they're all set in context and commented upon as only Christopher Hitchens--"political and literary journalist extraordinaire" (Los Angeles Times)--can. Atheist? Believer? Uncertain? No matter: The Portable Atheist will speak to you and engage you every step of the way.

Print length

499 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Da Capo Press
Publication date

November 6, 2007
Dimensions

6.05 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

9780306816086
ISBN-13

978-0306816086
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hitchens, an avowed atheist and author of the bestseller God Is Not Great, is a formidable intellectual who finds the notion of belief in God to be utter nonsense. The author is clear in his introduction that religion has caused more than its fair share of world problems. "Religion invents a problem where none exists by describing the wicked as also made in the image of god and the sexually nonconformist as existing in a state of incurable mortal sin that can incidentally cause floods and earthquakes." The readings Hitchens chooses to bolster his atheist argument are indeed engaging and important. Hobbes, Spinoza, Mill and Marx are some of the heavyweights representing a philosophical viewpoint. From the world of literature the author assembles excerpts from Shelley, Twain, Conrad, Orwell and Updike. All are enjoyable to read and will make even religious believers envious of the talent gathered for this anthology. What these dynamic writers are railing against often enough, however, is a strawman: an immature, fundamentalist, outdated, and even embarrassing style of religion that many intelligent believers have long since cast off. It could be that Hitchens and his cast of nonbelievers are preaching to the choir and their message is tired and spent. However, this remains a fascinating collection of readings from some of the Wests greatest thinkers.

Review

"Those objections and the writings Hitchens assembles to buttress them will surely bring on new controversies which is just the sort of thing on which he has thrived over a long and fruitful career."
―Kirkus

"MY PRAYERS ARE answered! I'd always wanted a 500-page paperback crammed with arguments against the existence of God--and now, thanks to Christopher Hitchens, that tireless proselytizing rationalist, here it is."
―Adam Begley, New York Observer

"A fascinating collection of articles that just say no to religion...Required reading for anyone who believes, disbelieves, or just isn't sure yet."
―People "Critic's Choice"

"A great Christmas gift for anybody who doens't believe in Christmas. In fact, it's the closest thing to heaven a confirmed atheist is likely to find."
―Sunday Mercury

"Valuable."
―Library Journal

"Hitchens has returned to the Belief Wars backed by a full army...The Godless Warrior marshals in an Atheist A-Team."
―San Diego Union Tribune

"Should be sufficient fodder for anyone uncomfortable with the notion of a creator."
―Hartford Courant

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0306816083
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; First Edition (November 6, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 499 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780306816086
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0306816086
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.19 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.05 x 1.7 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #97,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7 in Religious Literature Criticism
- #43 in Atheism (Books)
- #102 in Science & Religion (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 1,306 ratings

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Christopher Hitchens

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Christopher Hitchens (1949-2011) was the author of Letters to a Young Contrarian, and the bestseller No One Left to Lie To: The Values of the Worst Family. A regular contributor to Vanity Fair, The Atlantic Monthly and Slate, Hitchens also wrote for The Weekly Standard, The National Review, and The Independent, and appeared on The Daily Show, Charlie Rose, The Chris Matthew's Show, Real Time with Bill Maher, and C-Span's Washington Journal. He was named one of the world's "Top 100 Public Intellectuals" by Foreign Policy and Britain's Prospect.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,306 global ratings

5 star		75%
4 star		16%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		1%

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M2

Fascinating Compilation

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 19, 2023

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Collected and published by the aggressive and outspoken realist (naturalist) Christopher Hitchens, this compliation of readings addresses religions of all makes, from ancient polytheisms to today's contemporary montheisms. From the "Big Bang" to the begining of life to the descent of man, all attempts to insert a supernatural being into natural history are addressed. The holy books of todays monotheistic religions are considered in light of history as well as their authoritative, moral and literary consistency. The authors included in this complation are all reknowned and respected men and women of science and philolosophy who ask legitimate questions and pose legitimate responses. A very worthy read for anyone who seeks to explore the realm of nature versus 'super-nature'.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

A Great Intro and a Mixture of Great to Below Avg Essays

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 23, 2012

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The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever edited by Christopher Hitchens

"The Portable Atheist" is the philosophical journey of atheist thought through time. The late great Christopher Hitchens selects forty seven essays by some of the most influential atheist/agnostic minds. This 528-page book is composed of forty seven essays by some of the most influential atheists/agnostics including heavyweights like: Einstein, Sagan, Russell, Darwin, Twain, Hume, Spinoza, Mill, Dawkins, Harris and many others.

Positives:
1. Great and diverse selection of atheist/agnostic essays.
2. Thought-provoking and fascinating views on religion.
3. One of the best introductions, I've ever read. It alone is worth the price of this book the rest is a bonus.
4. Hitchens provides a few introductory words for each essay.
5. The recurring theme of dismissing superstitions and myths.
6. David Hume provides great perspective on miracles and an interesting interview.
7. Quotes, quotes, quotes...great quotes throughout. "Questions of fact can only be solved by examining facts". Here is another one of my favorites, "All logical arguments can defeated by the simple refusal to reason logically".
8. Great lucid minds providing much needed wisdom.
9. Deism refuted.
10. The problem of evil. Many examples. "If evil predominates here, we have no reason to suppose that good predominates elsewhere".
11. Cosmological argument put under the scrutiny of great minds.
12. Religious history was never more interesting. Luther's impact is duly noted.
13. The argument from design and Darwin's view of it. You get Carl Sagan's view of this as well.
14. The clearly stated position of an agnostic.
15. The great mind of Spinoza taking Hume's position of miracles to another level.
16. The evil of slavery and its link to Christianity...oh my. Fascinating stuff.
17. "Thou shalt suffer no witch to live..." it's amazing the impact a few words has on humanity.
18. The philosophy of atheism...a very good essay.
19. Great insight on morality. "There is no moral obligation to believe what is unbelievable any more than there is moral obligation to do what is undoable".
20. The concept of revelation and concise arguments against it.
21. The great thing about reading is that you are bound to learn something new. This book provided me the best understanding of why the concept of an afterlife diminishes our one and only real life. Thank you.
22. The great Einstein and his "religious" beliefs.
23. Supernatural births of gods. So many gods so little reason.
24. Bertrand Russell's essay is an intellectual treat. Science versus faith. The absurdities of Aristotle.
25. The Anselm's ontological argument discussed.
26. The purpose of life...the big philosophical questions. The moral consequence of atheism.
27. Nothing fails more than prayers.
28. Richard Dawkin's essay a great refresher. Evolution it does a specie good.
29. Victor Stenger advances the argument that we know enough to discard the god hypothesis. Great use of physics and cosmology to base his arguments.
30. Elizabeth Anderson provides one of the strongest essays of this book. It's an essay about how humans can possibly conduct themselves without a belief in the gods. Excellent!
31. The moral inconsistencies of the Bible and the lack of archaeological evidence.
32. Eschatology...always a fascinating topic.
33. The advantages of atheism are recurring throughout book, "to choose unbelief is to choose mind over dogma, to trust in our humanity instead of all these dangerous divinities".
34. Ibn Warraq provides an excellent albeit long essay on why he is not a Muslim. The essay is actually from his book.
35. Sam Harris provides a hard hitting essay about some of the evils of religious dogma. "Whenever a man imagines that he need only believe the truth of a proposition, without evidence - that believers will go to hell, that Jews drink the blood of infants - he becomes capable of anything."
36. A horrifying look at witchhunts and anti-Semitism.
37. Ayaan Hirsi Ali's emotional and insightful essay on why she became an infidel.

Negatives:
1. The book is clearly uneven. Some essays are very long while others way too short.
2. Some of the essays are poems and well some of the messages and thoughts are lost on me.
3. At over 500 pages, it does require an investment of time.
4. As is always is the case with essays and in particular this book, some essays are of more interest than others. Some essays are more accessible than others.
5. Very few essays from women but I'm happy to report that the few provided are very good.
6. This book is anything but portable.
7. Hitchens introduction was so good that very few essays were able to live up to those standards.
8. Some essays just didn't belong. The essay on Hegel and Germany by Karl Marx comes to mind.

In summary, a great set of thought-provoking essays. You are guaranteed to learn something new and fascinating. Some essays like the poem-based ones didn't really work for me and some others didn't feel like they belong. The great thing about a book about essays is that you can skip over the ones you don't like. The introduction of this book is one of the wittiest and thought-provoking writings and many other provided plenty of food for thought. The intro and some of the essays are five-star material but others drag it down the book to a four. That being said, you can cherry pick and go through your favorites. A recommended buy!

Further suggestions: "Why I Became an Atheist", "The Christian Delusion" and "The End of Christianity" by John Loftus, "Sense and Goodness Without God " and "Why I'm Not a Christian" by Richard Carrier, "Man Made God" by Barbara G. Walker, ""The Invention of the Jewish People" by Shlomo Sand, "Godless" by Dan Barker, "Christian No More" by Jeffrey Mark, "A Universe from Nothing" by Lawrence M. Krauss, "Faith No More: Why People Reject Religion" by Phil Zuckerman and "The Invention of God" by Bill Lauritzen.

33 people found this helpful

Helpful

Steven Alex

Fantastic, Great, Outstanding, Commentary on many different religions, background and history

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2013

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Fantastic, Great, Outstanding, Commentary on many different religions, background and history. This book was recommended to me by a friend and at first I was hesitant to get it. I do consider my self a Christian but don't agree with the concept of a Christian theocracy which the ultraconservative Christian Right as tried to push on the United States citizens for the last 30 years in spite of the separation of church and state guaranteed by the constitution.
I found this book to be really inspiring in the way it has helped me understand the foundations of many different world religions as well as Christianity. This book confirmed what I have long suspected. Religion has its roots, in superstition, magic and lack of science which over time, has progressed into a political system or theocracy.
Some people have called religion the biggest business in the world and I have to agree. This book kinds of grows on you. I was a religion minor in college and thought I knew a lot but boy did I have a lot to learn. I left this book with a feeling that if I want to believe in superstition and magic I still have that choice but it is not anything I would want to base a government on. All the progress we have made in social equality and scientific understanding could be easily wiped away, not just by religions from outside the United States but also from our own Abrahamic religious roots. I consider this book an excellent primer on the origins of world religions as well as showing how religion and politics go hand in hand. I now agree entirely with the founders of our constitution in supporting the separation of church and state. If believing in the spiritual nature of life is comforting to you this book will not take away that feeling. What it may do is strengthen your ability to feel safe and secure in your belief set with out giving into supporting the religion others in power seem to insist on you accepting as authentic.
Im happy to say I don't think we have any "God Given Rights" to guns or that we should hate birth control or gays. I also don't want to see us go back to the "good old days" before we knew the Earth was round and not the center of the universe or didn't know germs and viruses caused disease. I feel my sense of the spiritual nature of life most strongly when I am out in nature enjoying the trees and life that surrounds me, but funny, so called "primitive peoples" wiccans and pagans have been feeling the same for generations before the Catholic Church or Islam came into power.
I think this is a very liberating collection of work from many diverse experts in all the primary religions of the world and is VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

andrew Morton

A Delightful Trumpet Blast of Truth Through The Ages!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

"Portability" tends to suggest an object of smaller physical dimensions than this object. I'm tempted to subtract a star for the unnecessary thickness of paper chosen, completely the wrong paper in fact for any book of around 500 pages which clearly (by title) implies a purchasing individual should able to stuff such stuff in their back pocket and move on. However, "portable" atheistic material also suggests a document that continues to engage the intellect after many repeated readings and this book certainly does that. A great selection from the Hitch; to hear the trumpet blast of truth echoing through the years is all the sweeter a sound for the counterpoint it often plays to deeply god bothering times and places. This tome enlightens and inspires as it squashes and splatters deluded theologians all the way on its chronological journey from Lucretius to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Highly recommended!

9 people found this helpful

Richard H

not that portable but a joy to carry...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 4, 2015

Verified Purchase

For someone like myself who isn't great at reading whole novels in my busy life, this is a perfect book. An anthology of texts spanning over 2000 years by folks of sound mind and rigorous intellect writing on the irrational reality of religion and it false promises that condition subsequent generations to this day (sadly). As many text remind us, the only sense of reality and the cause and consequence of our actions is now and if the book preaches anything then it is we have the power to shape our own life through our humanity to each other and to believe in people over false gods. Atheists simply believe in the beauty and potential of the human race as this life is all we have and it is simply not true that faith has any monopoly on you being a good person. Packed with beautiful writing and points of view it's a great book to dip into when the TV is showing more acts of intolerance and reminding you we should fingers crossed evolved out of living through imaginary creatures to see we have, what is important the human race on this planet collectivity and how it is must be defined by our respect for each other.

3 people found this helpful

John

An indispensable collection

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

Hitchens as done here a wonderful job of collecting here the works of great free-thinkers, rationalists, agnostics and atheists all through the ages. Some of these i was already familiar with yet others were new to me introducing me to some great pieces of writing. This book makes for excellent short reading with each chapter on average being 10-15min long allowing you get a bit of reading done as you await a meal order or while waiting in line at the grocery store. Its very quotable allowing you to quickly look up a counter argument to any theistic argument while also providing some pleasant reading with poetry, novel extracts and short essays. It has my full recommendation to anyone who wishes to join the ranks of the New Atheism movement

3 people found this helpful

M. B. P. Lee

Review: "The Portable Atheist" by Christopher Hitchens

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 30, 2013

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Review: "The Portable Atheist" by Christopher Hitchens

This book contains essays on the views of 47 famous authors, past and present, on the possible existence or non-existence of god, each in an independent chapter of its own contained within 480 pages. It has been edited in a similar style throughout and as each chapter is independent of the next, I could read a few pages or a chapter or two at a time and not lose the thread when I resumed reading later, even much later. Thus I was able to spread reading the book over a period of weeks and at my choosing without loss of continuity.

Whether the reader is a believer or not, this book will not be the decider, but it will illustrate that many great thinkers have given this matter some serious thoughts. Coupled with other threads on ancient religions and traditions, each reader should soon form their own perspectives of their beliefs, because if you have started your journey in searching for answers, surely you will find it.

2 people found this helpful

Michael Turley

Compulsive chunks of high quality reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 18, 2011

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I'll admit I haven't read the Hume essay yet but I ate the rest of the book and have a copy on my iPhone so I can dip into it whenever I'm stuck on the tube without something to read. This book offers evidence of Hitchens wide reading and each essay seems perfectly placed in the collection.

Like all good collections this book should serve as an introduction to authors you may have neglected, ignored or been unaware of. For me, George Eliots essay was a very welcome surprise. Reading it made me realise what a dimwit I'd been to neglect her and encouraged me to start reading her novels with Middlemarch.

8 people found this helpful

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