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Christopher Hitchens
Hitchens photographed from profile
Hitchens in 2008
Born
Christopher Eric Hitchens

13 April 1949
Died 15 December 2011 (aged 62)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Nationality
  • British (1949–2011)
  • American (2007–2011)
Education The Leys School, Cambridge
Alma mater Balliol College, Oxford
Spouse(s)
  • Eleni Meleagrou
    (m. 1981; div. 1989)
  • Carol Blue (m. 1991)
Awards
 
Era Contemporary philosophy
Region Western philosophy
School New Atheism, Epicureanism
Main interests
 Politics, philosophy of religion, history, literary criticism
Notable ideas
 Hitchens' razor
Influences
Influenced
Signature
Christopher Hitchens signature.svg

Christopher Eric Hitchens (13 April 1949 – 15 December 2011) was an English-American intellectual, philosopher and social critic who expressed himself as an author, orator, essayist, journalist and columnist. Hitchens was the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of over 30 books, including five collections of essays on culture, politics, and literature. A staple of public discourse, his confrontational style of debate made him both a lauded public intellectual and a controversial public figure. He contributed to New Statesman, The Nation, The Weekly Standard, The Atlantic, London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, Slate, Free Inquiry, The Spectator and Vanity Fair.

As an anti-theist, he regarded all religions as false, harmful, and authoritarian. He argued in favour of free expression and scientific discovery, and that it was superior to religion as an ethical code of conduct for human civilisation. He also advocated for the separation of church and state. The dictum "What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence" has become known as Hitchens' razor.


Books