The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever

商家名称	信用等级	购买信息	订购本书
		The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever
		The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever

基本信息·出版社：Da Capo Press
·页码：528 页
·出版日期：2007年11月
·ISBN：0306816083
·条形码：9780306816086
·版本：1st Da Capo Press Ed
·装帧：平装
·正文语种：英语

内容简介 在线阅读本书

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.
作者简介 Christopher Hitchens is a contributing editor to Vanity Fair. His numerous books include Letters to a Young Contrarian and Why Orwell Matters.
媒体推荐 From AudioFile
In books such as GOD IS NOT GREAT, the militant anti-religionist Hitchins bangs his drum so loudly that he gives even us fellow atheists a headache. Here, happily, he has compiled an extensive and thought-provoking anthology of skeptical literature, modern and ancient, from the likes of Lucretius, Omar Khayyˆ°m, Spinoza, Hume, Darwin, Mark Twain, Marx, and Rushdie, to name a few. He begins with an overlong introduction, rehearsing his own complaints against organized religion and faith, then proceeds more succinctly to introduce each selection. Narrator Nicholas Ball gives an Apollonian reading in a mellifluous, resonant baritone. His mannerisms, though pretty, often obscure meaning. He delivers the words accurately and obeys the punctuation without expressing the relationship of the thoughts expressed with one another, or even making the individual thoughts coherent. Y.R. 128/130 © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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!"—The 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"

"Hitchens has returned to the Belief Wars backed by a full army…the Godless Warrior marshals in an Atheist A-Team…to buttress his own arguments…Hitchens is the guide as well as the commentartor linking it all together."—San Diego Tribune

"Contrarian Christopher Hitchens' The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever should be sufficient fodder for anyone uncomfortable with the notion of a creator."—Hartford Courant


编辑推荐 Review
"Reading all these essays together is an intellectually invigorating experience this is a fine anthology and a provocative challenge to believers." --Metro (London) 14th November 2007

Review
"(a)t 500 pages this excellent anthology is only just portable, but it is the perfect Christmas stocking-filler for the atheist in your life." --The Guardian

Review
"(a)fter setting the non-believing cat among the devout pigeons in America, Christopher Hitchens compiles an anthology varied enough to entertain atheists, agnostics and believers alike." --The Financial Times


专业书评 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 West’s greatest thinkers.

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