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The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever

by Christopher Hitchens (Editor), Titus Lucretius Carus (Contributor), Omar Khayyám (Contributor), Thomas Hobbes (Contributor), Baruch Spinoza (Contributor), David Hume (Contributor), James Boswell (Contributor), Percy Bysshe Shelley (c) , more…

4.02 · Rating Details · 13,885 Ratings · 409 Reviews

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 influentia ...more

Paperback, 525 pages

Published November 6th 2007 by Da Capo Press/Perseus Books (Philadelphia) (first published 2007)

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Lists with This Book

God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens

Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris

Notable Atheist Books

7th out of 365 books — 860 voters

If Democrats Had Any Brains, They'd Be Republicans by Ann Coulter

1001 Books I'd Rather Die than Read

92nd out of 513 books — 791 voters

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Feb 09, 2015 Paul Bryant rated it liked it

Shelves: godreads

THE UNAPPEALING ATHEIST PROPOSITION

One early medieval story says that humans are like a bird who flies in one window of a great hall where a vast banquet is in progress. The bird only has time to catch a glimpse of all the festivities before it flies out of the other window. That’s us : we rapidly pass from non-existence to non-existence. Is that going to be a message many people want to hear? No. Is that why religion with its vivid promises of afterlife joy (for you, and, hopefully, misery for ...more

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Sep 24, 2008 Joshua Stein rated it it was amazing

Hitchens is one of the wittiest men of our time, and as a great writer, his taste is impeccable.

I love reading essays and short pieces, but it becomes a problem when I find collections that I don't particularly like, because I don't want to buy a collection for a single essay.

That is not a problem with Hitchens, who combines the fundamental originators of the atheist thought, with the writings of Hume and Spinoza, with the great leaders of the modern atheist movement, including a few essays from ...more

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Aug 02, 2015 Tiffany rated it liked it

Shelves: metaphysical

Loved the guy. He lived in my neighborhood and lumbered around like a bear that had been poked by a stick. I've been following him since the 80's when he contributed regularly to The Nation. His contributions to Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy and Prospect were invaluable, his prose inimitable.

But when it comes to spiritual beliefs the guy was a cretin.

For all his erudition he never grokked that many humans have a desire to worship something outside themselves and that desire or need d ...more

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Daniel I'm trying to think of what form of worship "includes a healthy perception of self as a lesser agent in a larger picture." One can have that healthy p I'm trying to think of what form of worship "includes a healthy perception of self as a lesser agent in a larger picture." One can have that healthy perception without worshipping anything - I don't have to worship my country to have a healthy perception of my role in it as a lesser agent, for example as a taxpayer, and to obey the social contract generally. I accept my duty as a taxpayer, and also I would like to avoid prison time for tax evasion, but I wouldn't call writing checks to the government an act of "worship." I am lesser than my government, but at the same time I imagine there might be ways to improve it. Not that I have a comprehensive plan for improving the government, but I would be astonished if it turned out we have the best possible government. (I do have one general idea, though: we could make our government better if we could teach and equip everybody to think critically. Note that critical thinking is the opposite of worship, because it says nothing is above criticism and question.)

To me "worship" implies declaring something to be perfect. One doesn't have to be "zealous" to believe one's religion cannot improve. For example, look at all the horrific or just plain incorrect writings in the Bible - telling people they can safely handle venomous snakes and drink poison, telling slaves to obey their masters, saying women cannot teach or be in authority over men, etc. No Christian would dream of editing those flawed passages out, because Christians believe their Bible is perfect - if anything in the Bible appears to be incorrect or harmful, the fault must be in our understanding of it, not in the unalterable Word of God. Moderate Christians certainly ignore big chunks of the Bible, such as all the encouragement for slave-owners, but they won't edit the Bible to bring it up to modern standards of morality - such as to declare slavery is actually immoral, and far worse than carrying a load on the Sabbath, which the Bible declares a capital offense.

Anything I view as being still subject to improvement is not something I can worship. My very awareness that improvement is possible means I am not worshipping it. I implicitly declare that something else is worth more - such as a future improvement on what it is now.

Given that science continues to evolve and improve, I know that the condition of science at a given time must be imperfection. But the underlying process of science, the scientific method that continually roots out its errors and drives it toward greater accuracy and breadth, might be as close to perfect as anything humans have created. Certainly science has gotten closer to perfection than anything else humans have tried - that's why we use science to measure the status of all other things (such as alternative medicine: if it works, science can quantify how well). The scientific method itself might already be as close to perfect as anything that demonstrably exists, because it appears to the best and perhaps only mechanism we have for creating that nearly-perfect thing. Science is like the real version of what the infant Jesus was supposed to be: something that could grow into the thing that could save us. (Although that might be asking a bit much, in light of the Great Filter which seems to have thus far prevented every other life form that may have evolved in our galaxy from escaping its home planet.)

Now, if that "larger picture" I am to view myself as a lesser part of happens to be purely fictional, then my worship of it is the opposite of healthy. I would, in fact, have something like a mental illness. The world has eight major religions, each having multiple sects, schools, or denominations, and thousands of minor religions besides, all of them in conflict to some greater or lesser degree. There is no evidentiary basis for deciding which religion is true (there can be at most one). Therefore to worship according to any religion is to decide something the available evidence does not support, and we know the worshippers of any randomly selected religion are overwhelmingly likely to be worshipping a lie. There is nothing healthy about that.

If a religion happens to promote a behavioral code that produces some benefits, that's great, but there's no need to worship a magic man in the sky to construct a beneficial behavioral code - Christopher Hitchens' failure to heed the empirical evidence regarding the health hazards of his favorite recreational drugs notwithstanding. If we apply the scientific method to moral behavior, we can in principle put morality on the same conveyor belt of improvement that the rest of science is on. Religious revelation is the opposite of that - it claims to be perfect from the outset, and any attempt to improve it must be heresy.

That, by the way, is what got Galileo in trouble. He used reason and evidence to question what the Church said he should worship (i.e., not question). ...more
updated May 26, 2016 03:38AM

Daniel Jibran wrote: "More than his spiritual beliefs, or rather the lack of them, I could never make sense of his U-turn from a leftist boy to a right-wing ...more
May 26, 2016 03:59AM

Jan 14, 2008 Michael rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Sarah

Shelves: to-read-again, philosophy, 2008_read

I would not call myself an atheist, but a some of what is collected in this book rings true to me. However, like most atheist philosophy there is much to be desired. Much of the counter-points favoring the non-existence of god(s) can be boiled down into:

1) God does not exist because there is no evidence.
2) God does not exist because there is evil in the world.
3) God does not exist because bad people have embellished on the myths.
4) God does not exist because there are too many gods both past an ...more

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Dec 09, 2008 Vanja Antonijevic rated it it was amazing

Although, as can only be expected, it is missing some crucial works, and allows for only small excerpts of others, it an excellent collection overall.

The first third of the book will allow you to understand the philosophical intellectual history of atheism/agnosticism (Lucretius (c. 60 BCE ), Hobbes, Spinoza, Hume, Mill, Marx, Eliot, Darwin, Twain, Freud, Einstein, Orwell, and Russell). The rest of the book has more modern and recent arguments, that I believe are more systematic and convincing. ...more

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Jan 22, 2015 Mikey B. rated it really liked it

Shelves: journalism, philosophy, religion

Page 363 (my book) St. Augustine

“There is another form of temptation, even more fraught with danger. This is the disease of curiosity. It is this which drives us to try and discover the secrets of nature which are beyond our understanding, which can avail us nothing, and which man should not wish to learn.”

These 47 essays are chronologically arranged from Lucretius to the 21st century. But over two-thirds of the essays are from 1900 onwards. One does get a history of atheism, and how, even to th ...more

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Oct 06, 2009 Ben rated it it was ok

Although I am certainly not an atheist, I enjoyed the book. Liked having a selection of "Atheist" readings with the additional comments of the author, a renowned atheist himself. I gave the book 3 stars because, well, not being an atheist, I found the book lacking on several levels.

First, the words the jump to my mind after reading this book are, "holier than thou," "dogmatic," "exclusive," and well, many others that are used by atheists against people of faith. What strikes me as hilarious, no Although I am certainly not an atheist, I enjoyed the book. Liked having a selection of "Atheist" readings with the additional comments of the author, a renowned atheist himself. I gave the book 3 stars because, well, not being an atheist, I found the book lacking on several levels.

First, the words the jump to my mind after reading this book are, "holier than thou," "dogmatic," "exclusive," and well, many others that are used by atheists against people of faith. What strikes me as hilarious, none of the philosophical arguments consist in any empirical proof whatsoever. So, let's agree that whether theologian or philosopher (including atheists), none of us can conclusively "prove" anything. We must each look at the relevant data and facts that we find in all domains of life and history and make our own decision as to what our beliefs are. Healthy debate is part of that decision making, which is why I liked reading this book.

Second, I found some of the argumentation used to be confusing. I understand that being an atheist, one does not have a belief in any god of any sort. However, when making broad statements about why one doesn't believe in a god, it is entirely unhelpful and misleading to lump all faiths into one big pile. Each faith has its own merits, difficulties, and history. To lump all together is to disregard and evade dealing with the strength of argument for a particular religion. I might add that just as it is logically impossible for all religions to be correct (i.e. lead to the same place), this includes atheism.

Finally, it is a bit intellectually dishonest to present some of these readings as representative of the whole of particular faiths. For example, in the George Elliot entry, the author(s) sort of pick at the person and work of Rev. John Cumming. While they my have some good points, John Cumming is not necessarily wholly representative of Biblical Christianity at all points. Thus, it is unjust to say John Cumming's beliefs and practices = Biblical Christianity, since we have picked him apart from our "correct" point of view, therefore Christianity is bunk. I expect better than this. I do understand that this book is presenting "slices" of historical readings, but the author does add his own comments, and therefore could touch on this and contemporary advances that have occurred since Rev. Cumming. We could make similar comments about his comments regarding the Catholic church.

This book is for anyone who wants a selection of atheistic readings to interact with. At the end of the day, I'm not sure there is anything conclusive, although the author would have you believe otherwise. I respect his conclusion of his personal assessment of our world and the facts before him, but I come to a vastly different, equally respectable conclusion (after considering the same facts and philosophical arguments). ...more

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Daniel

However, when making broad statements about why one doesn't believe in a god, it is entirely unhelpful and misleading to lump all faiths into one big

However, when making broad statements about why one doesn't believe in a god, it is entirely unhelpful and misleading to lump all faiths into one big pile. Each faith has its own merits, difficulties, and history. To lump all together is to disregard and evade dealing with the strength of argument for a particular religion.

No religion has ever produced a strong argument for its supernatural claims. That is why all religions require their followers to have faith - which means religious leaders expect their followers to believe highly improbable claims on the strength of no conclusive evidence whatsoever. If any religion did have a strong argument, it would not be a religion - it would be a science, and as with science, nearly all rational people would fairly quickly come to accept it on the strength of its supporting evidence. For an example of how that works, recall that it only took about a decade after Darwin published in 1859 for most of the relevant scientific community to accept his theory of evolution by variation and natural selection. Rational people, unlike most people, are capable of overturning even deeply held beliefs in a fairly short time after new and better evidence appears.

In contrast, as no religion has anything resembling good evidence for its supernatural claims, the tactic of every religion I've ever heard about is to rationalize away the need for evidence. In Christianity, for example, "Faith is the evidence of things not seen." That is a fundamental - and outrageously dishonest - attack on the very meaning of evidence itself, as if merely pretending that something is true can make it true.

Now, the argument from inconsistent revelations is not an argument for the non-existence of God. It is merely a very strong argument that you - and everybody else - are very unlikely to have any reliable knowledge of God. Yet every religion is run by hucksters who claim to have deep and reliable knowledge of their particular God, gods, or spiritual realm. Thus religious diversity in itself tells you nothing about whether some sort of god may exist - it merely tells you that the vast majority of people who claim to know a God are either lying or deluded. ...more
Jul 17, 2015 11:01AM

Jan 21, 2008 Jenifer rated it liked it

Christopher Hitchens, why so angry? This is an interesting collection of essays, fiction, articles and arguments, compiled by the acidic and immature Hitchens. When Hitchens is NOT speaking, this proves evocative reading. When he is, it's annoying - like listening to a teenage girl on a cell phone on the train fighting with her boyfriend-of-the-week about "I know you are, but what am I? Shut up no you shut up you stupidhead meanyperson."

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Jan 27, 2016 Rawa Muhsin rated it really liked it

Vah! This was an enjoyable collection. It is an anthology of 56 writings by 47 different authors, almost all Atheists and Agnosts, from the very ancient (Lucretius of 1st century BC) to the contemporary (many). You could as well call it an Atheist's Bible, but that would be offending to both parties.

The quality of the selections varied from writer to writer. Particularly unaesthetic to me were Lucretius' boring poem, Khayyam's indulgent writing (a guy whose apparent infatuation with sex, wine, a ...more

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Jul 05, 2012 James rated it really liked it

Shelves: politics, philosophy, biography, poetry, non-fiction, religion, literary-criticism, history, essay-collection

The late Christopher Hitchens was a tremendous wit and man of letters, as well as an effective political and religious polemicist. This is a collection of some of the greatest Atheistic, or at least skeptical writings, selected and abridged by Hitchens with short introductions to each as well as a longer opening introduction. While that longer essay is a bit of a period piece not up to the standard of most of Hitchens writing, his shorter intros are delightful. His choices range from classical ( ...more

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Jun 11, 2011 Sandy b rated it it was amazing

Religion is the most perverse ,dangerous and destructive force in the world,and even God,s favorite David of the bible implored: open mine eyes lord, so that I will know thee with my heart ,mind ,and whole being
So this call to use your mind and critically examine,both the argument for and against religion,is wise council
And I have spend more than 40 years in earnest search for the truth
I have broken the shackles of religion,and the freedom of atheism is highly recommended

This important book will ...more

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Feb 27, 2009 Dan Gladwell rated it did not like it

This would be more properly titled "The Portable Anti-Religion: Essential Readings for the Angry Atheist". I really despise books and arguments that portend to be atheistic but are really just arguments against religion. When you are arguing to be atheistic, you should start from the assumption of atheism, instead of spending a whole volume arguing against it. This book clearly wasn't written for the "non-believer" because it spends the entire span of the book arguing against religion and trying ...more

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Nov 01, 2011 Todd Martin rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: atheism-religion-philosophy

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever is a collection of essays by various authors who have addressed the topic of atheism and/or agnosticism throughout the years. Although there are a few gems to be found (Hitchen’s introduction, essays by Sigmund Freud and Mark Twain, Salman Rushdie to name a few), most of the articles are pure drudgery written by long-winded philosophers who appear to have been paid by the word (or page). I particularly hated the section from Einstei ...more

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Feb 23, 2012 Naftoli rated it it was amazing

Shelves: truth, 2012

This is an outstanding compendium of human thought. It's difficult to comment on it since it is comprised of dozens of essays/contributions from ancient to present. One nice aspect is that many of them are short, even a few pages, so you can read an essay and close the book with a sense of completion before opening it up a few days later. With a novel that's hard, at least for me, because it disturbs the flow of the story.

No matter what one's beliefs are - pantheist, panentheist, theist, athies ...more

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Dec 26, 2010 Paul Perry rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, society, philosophy

An outstanding collection of essays and extracts from godless and freethinking writers throughout the ages. Amongst the highlights are the pamphlet for which Shelly was thrown out of university and contributions from Bertrand Russell, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine. Some, such as Thomas Hardy and HL Mencken consign gods to the grave of history, while others argue strong cases for a morality that does not rely on the promise of reward or the threat of punishment from a creator. While ...more

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Dec 21, 2008 Dennis rated it really liked it

Shelves: history

This compendium will last a while, but dipping in here and there seems the best approach. There are some interesting essays from the early part of the last century that were important in convincing my father to get over believing in god(s).

I wasn't planning on buying the book, but just happened to be browsing it at Powell's when my friend Chris Faatz, one of our great free-range intellectuals (and a Buddhist), stopped to say hello. He knew the book and pointed several essays that recommends. I w ...more

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May 30, 2011 TJ Shelby rated it it was amazing

I suppose that the first, and most important, thing to say is that I recommend this book to everyone. I already feel like I have forgotten so much of it that I want to start over again. I stole the following from another post and while it isn't comprehensive, I liked it:

(1) Hume: He takes the idea of miracles to task.
(2) Mill: Rationally explains his lack of faith.
(3) Marx: Ever wondered what the "opium of the people" really means?
(4) Mencken: A witty memorial service to all the "dead" gods
( ...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Steve rated it it was amazing

Shelves: scepticism

In The Portable Atheist, Hitchens has assembled a surprisingly diverse collection of first rate writing by non-believers. From medieval poets and enlightenment philosophers, to twentieth century scientists, this is most definitely not 500 pages of people saying the same thing in the same way. Representing a broad sweep of styles and perspectives - science, politics, philosophy, poetry, autobiography, literature, and more - about the only thing they have in common is their willingness to stand up In The Portable Atheist, Hitchens has assembled a surprisingly diverse collection of first rate writing by non-believers. From medieval poets and enlightenment philosophers, to twentieth century scientists, this is most definitely not 500 pages of people saying the same thing in the same way. Representing a broad sweep of styles and perspectives - science, politics, philosophy, poetry, autobiography, literature, and more - about the only thing they have in common is their willingness to stand up and challenge the great behemoth that is religion.

The entries by Carl Sagan, Anatole France, and the always dependable Bertrand Russell are a real treat. Ibn Warraq and Ayaan Hirsi Ali lift the cloak on Islam, Ian McEwan and others reveal the unsavoury episodes in the history of Christianity, and the poet Shelley gives us an early refutation of creationism. The writers and the writing truly are the cream of the crop. Also welcome in this volume are selected writings by Albert Einstein, whose eleven pages of letters and notes remove any lingering doubt about his repudiation of a god that takes an interest in human affairs. So much for the religiosity of the world's most famous genius.

The brief introductions by Hitch to each contribution are pitched just right: concise, illuminating, a little droll, but never nasty. He prefaces the whole collection with a longer piece that has all the passion and wit we've come to expect from him. Very few religious people will be drawn to read this book, but that's fine - this isn't that kind of book. (Those readers might like to try Guy P Harrison's excellent '50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God'.) As others have said, Hitch's compendium is considerably less 'portable' than the average paperback, but if you compare it with a whole bookshelf from which these extracts have been taken, you start to appreciate the aptness of the title. Whether you're an atheist, an agnostic, or just someone who appreciates fine writing, The Portable Atheist is highly recommended. ...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Shaun rated it it was amazing

The Portable Atheist is an astounding 'tour de force' of critical writer's critique of Religion, citing the diverse religious arguments in detail.
Containing 47 selections from some very famous and non-famous people on the value of atheism, this book is indeed a storehouse of
many thought provoking pieces, including a brilliant 14 page fiery introduction by Christopher Hitchens.

Hitchens takes liberty in introducing us to each contributing piece in this provocative and entertaining guided tour o ...more

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Jun 27, 2015 Can Ender rated it really liked it

Thanks to two nights with no sleep, I had the sufficient time on consecutive two nights to read this elegantly written book that never ceased to surprise me to the very end.

I would recommend it to anyone interested on the subject, not depending on at what level they may come informed on this very broad topic. The book is so well written by a person who is (or was) one of the -undisputedly I presume- best minds of our times that it would equally appeal to a curios reader looking for an interestin ...more

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Apr 22, 2013 Rosiehope rated it really liked it

I'd been avoiding reading this as I didn't want to hear him whingeing on about how oppressed he feels as an atheist or whatever, but I was pleasantly surprised that you don't hear much from him beyond the introduction. It's a collection of atheist-ish writing from great thinkers throughout history and is really well put together. I found it easier to get into some than others (skipped past some) but some lovely stuff. I particularly enjoyed the Omar Khayyam section, which was just beautiful. I h ...more

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Jan 28, 2015 Jake rated it liked it

It's hard to rate a compilation of essays and excerpts. My favorite 5 star sections were by Mark Twain, Emma Goldman, H.P. Lovecraft, Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I also liked Ibn Warraq's section from "Why I Am Not a Muslim". I know little about Islam aside from propaganda and the selections from the Koran were eye-opening. Interesting bunch of heretical writings.

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Jun 03, 2009 Donald rated it did not like it

Some thoughts from reading snippets of this tome for my job . . .

1. At 500 pages and a few pounds, this is anything but "portable"
2. For people who don't believe in a God, they spend an awful lot of time and energy talking about Him.
3. If this is a true representation of atheists, then they are egotistical, arrogant, vile, cruel, hate-filled, and generally depressive people.

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Mar 18, 2010 Naomi V rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: anybody questioning

Shelves: non-fiction, 2010, atheism, kindle

i've avoided this type of book for years, thinking that it would just be 'preaching to the choir' (as it were) and that i wouldn't really get much out of it. turns out that i have a lot to learn! this is like a 'primer' for skeptics, agnostics, and atheists.

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Jun 21, 2016 Steve Cann rated it really liked it

I love the 'Hitch', & this book (which has taken me 4 months to read!) was a very welcome Xmas pressie from my son.

This voluminous paperback (probably the least 'portable' book I've ever read, despite the title!) is a comprehensive, solid & well-researched anthology of atheistic & philosophical writings throughout the ages, specially selected & presented in chronological order (complete with written intros to each writer & their work) by the author himself.

We are treated to e ...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Book rated it really liked it

Shelves: atheism-religion

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, H ...more

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Jul 16, 2009 David rated it really liked it

Shelves: atheism

The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, compiled by Christopher Hitchens, is not a novel, as such, but a collection of essays, quotes and short critiques on the subject of religion and god(s), written by notable figures across the centuries. TPA will quickly get you in touch with dozens of the world’s most influential nonbelievers of the past and present, rather than having to scour a myriad of books in order to find their essays – all thanks to Hitchens.

Among the essayists The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever, compiled by Christopher Hitchens, is not a novel, as such, but a collection of essays, quotes and short critiques on the subject of religion and god(s), written by notable figures across the centuries. TPA will quickly get you in touch with dozens of the world’s most influential nonbelievers of the past and present, rather than having to scour a myriad of books in order to find their essays – all thanks to Hitchens.

Among the essayists chosen are Karl Marx (this comes as no surprise, as Hitchens himself was a former Marxist), David Hume, Charles Darwin, Mark Twain,H.L. Mencken (who writes an hilarious essay dedicated to the memory of all of the abandoned gods), Sigmund Freud, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, Albert Einstein, Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett, Sam Harris and many others. There is even a rather amusing essay by Penn Jillette – the larger, more loquacious half of the comedic duo Penn & Teller.

Here is a favorite passage of mine, which comes from the poem God’s Funeral, by Thomas Hardy:

And tricked by our own early dream
And need of solace, we grew self-deceived
Our making soon our maker did we deem
And what we had imagined we believed.

It is difficult to ascertain if TPA is perhaps just a collection of Hitchens’ favorite atheists, rather than the definitive volume of non-believing luminaries, but each selection is deliciously well-chosen and represent a compendium of some of the sharpest literature in anti-theology. Hitchens himself has also written an enjoyably barbarous introduction to the book, as well as brief introductions to each of the selected authors.

The Portable Atheist is really more of a handy reference to keep on the bookshelf, if, say, you happen to be looking for a particularly powerfully-delivered sermon on the evil tenets of the Old Testament, versus a good summer read to tote to the beach. But the book will definitely allow you to become more familiar with these amazing writers, both classical and modern, and will save you the effort of having to seek them out yourself – saving you both time and money.

P.S. The title is a tad misleading, as at a daunting 499 pages, the book’s girth makes it anything but “portable.”
...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Shay rated it really liked it

If you read about atheism, you are probably familiar with the work of the late Christopher Hitchens, and his most famous contemporaries, Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Dan Dennett. In The Portable Atheist, Hitchens offers readers the opportunity to expand their horizons with an anthology containing 47 essays and excerpts on unbelief. Dawkins, Harris and Dennett are all represented, but Hitchens’ selections range from Greek philosophy (Lucretius) to English poetry (Thomas Hardy, Philip Larkin) t ...more

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Jun 04, 2013 Luke rated it liked it

Shelves: reading-list-2013

Replete with works by the usual suspects: Twain, Dennett, Penn Jillette, Sam Harris, Dawkins, Russell, and Sagan (aside from the introductions to each piece, no work from Hitchens is included). All of their pieces are good enough for inclusion in such a collection. But most of these people, your more contemporary and western atheists, write from a relatively safe position. They've nothing to lose through their "heresy." Some of the other thinkers presented had much to lose and their ideas feel m ...more

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Apr 19, 2009 Roger rated it liked it

There were certainly some "essential" readings in this collection. There were the more obvious selections (Spinoza, Einstein, Freud, Russel, Sagan, Dawkins). There were some great pieces by writers whom I'd never read before (Emma Goldman, H. L. Mencken, Michael Shermer, Victor Stenger). These were balanced with pieces by fictional and poetic writers (Updike, McEwan, Rusdie, etc.). All of this was great. The big problem with Hitchens' collection is the lack of fat-cutting. It's a 480 page groupi ...more

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About Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Eric Hitchens was an English-born American author, journalist and literary critic. He was a contributor to Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, World Affairs, The Nation, Slate, Free Inquiry and a variety of other media outlets. Hitchens was also a political observer, whose best-selling books — the most famous being God Is Not Great — made him a staple of talk shows and lecture circuits. He was ...more

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God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

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“Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods.” — 2427 likes

“I have met some highly intelligent believers, but history has no record to say that [s]he knew or understood the mind of god. Yet this is precisely the qualification which the godly must claim—so modestly and so humbly—to possess. It is time to withdraw our 'respect' from such fantastic claims, all of them aimed at the exertion of power over other humans in the real and material world.” — 118 likes

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