Ben Burgis is the author of the upcoming book: Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters, as well as the host of "Give Them An Argument" on YouTube. His previous book Give Them An Argument: Logic for the Left was covered in Current Affairs and he and Nathan have co-written before. In today's episode, Ben and Nathan discuss Hitchens' career, writings, and beliefs, including:
The enduring value of Hitchens' leftist polemics against Henry Kissinger and Bill Clinton
The roots of Hitchens' repugnant and despicable views on Islam and the Iraq War
The question of how useful his strident "anti-theism" was
The way the 80s and 90s neoliberal consensus caused certain socialists to lose their way
The need for the left to avoid Hitchens' worst tendencies while learning from his erudition, debating flair, and love of skewering overrated sacred figures
The Trial of Henry Kissinger can be seen on YouTube. Ben's book on Hitchens is now available for pre-order.
Edited by Tim Gray