I've followed Christopher Hitchens' divorce from the political Left with interest, because he is an extremely talented, provocative writer with an uncompromising intellect. His support for the Iraq occupation has drawn heated ire from his former colleagues, and I have read a fair amount of his work recently, as well as the criticism of his opponents, in an attempt to find his overall political philosophy.

Strangely enough, this refutation of religion has provided quite a few clues.

Hitchens' arguments are not new, though that they have been broached before does not mitigate their effectiveness. The genesis of my skepticism is echoed in these pages with Hitchens' investigation of the history of many religious texts. Though many believers assert the unassailable veracity of their Word, the process by which these words came together in their current, agreed upon form was scattershot. Highly varied source material, erroneous or disputed interpretations and unverifiable word-of-mouth narration is all part of the equation.

Hitchens leaves the reader with a plea for a new enlightenment, and it is here where his philosophy reveals itself. A secular humanist, Hitchens seeks a world of fairness, equality and erudition, and views religion as not merely dangerous but inaccurate and bizarre. He sees religion as stifling humanity's best and most noble inclinations, and sees it as akin to a political totalitarianism. Be the impediment a dusty, unreasonable faith or a cruel dictatorial government, he wants it eradicated, and at once.