Letters to a Young Contrarian (Art of Mentoring (Paperback))

I have to admit, and not without some degree of shame, that prior to picking up this book I had shunned the author for the most part as someone whose views diverged too sharply from my own to be of any interest to me. It remains true that I do not share many of his specific views, or at least approaches to them, but that does not take away from the fact that Christopher Hitchens was a remarkable and highly intelligent man who stood by his convictions and contributed more than most to some of the the great debates of his generation. In this short work the author takes up the subject of what it means to devote oneself to a life of opposition to the status quo by responding to many of the questions he has received on the subject throughout the years. It is not so much a treatise on any one subject – although his controversial opinion on things like religion and politics inevitably come up – as a dissertation on the very mindset a person should adopt if he or she is to successfully assume the role of the outspoken critic, and the various pitfalls of doing so. As such, the book lends itself well to anyone in such a position, be they a supporter of his views or not. I was particularly taken by the self-reflective and often humble tone of the book, as well as the beautiful simplicity and inescapable logic of the advice Hitchens offers on the subject of moral compromise and the temptation to “go along to get along”. Again, one does not have to agree with the author’s politics to make sense of his motives. In fact I would go so far as to say that a refusal to read this book on personal grounds is as much a vindication of what it has to say as it is an objection to it. Aside from the advice on offer, the book also contains a good deal of recommended reading, some with which I was already familiar, but much that I was unaware of and look forward to reading. I would conclude by reiterating that this is one of those books that, ironically, might prove as valuable to the opponents of the writer as his supporters. I am neither – or perhaps both – and yet this fact seems almost irrelevant when you consider that unlike much of Hitchens’ other publications, this one is, for the most part, neutral. Which is to say, you can ignore those things you do not agree with and still benefit greatly from the more general reflections of a mind that is nothing if not uncompromising and devoted to personal freedom above all else.

In this book Hitchens writes on themes of dissent, skepticism, stoicism, revolution, reason and principle. To support the importance and relevance of these themes he packs the book to the gunwales with literary and commentary references which themselves stimulate an appetite for further reading. One might not agree with all of his views but for the most part the book embodies the feeling implied in its title of a wise old sage trying to impart some of life's most important lessons on an uninitiated, naive but eager and vital neophyte. The book combines wonderfully reasoned arguments for the author's position on numerous topics but there are also many simple but elegant one-line take-aways such as his "Never be a spectator of unfairness or stupidity". At once indignant and intellectual in Hitchens' now inimitable style he winds up his advice beautifully by quoting the Hungarian dissident, George Konrad, "Have a lived life instead of a career. Put yourself in the safekeeping of good taste. Lived freedom will compensate you for a few losses....If you don't like the style of others, cultivate your own. Get to know the tricks of reproduction, be a self-publisher even in conversation, and then the joy of working can fill your days." An excellent book.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am only recently acquainted with Hitchens' work, but I consider this to be a worthy starting point for anyone wishing to understand the essence of this most excellent specimen of man. "Letters" basically delivers a synthesis of the late Hitchens' view, the reasons for his stance on many varied topics and also his personal advice to anyone truly wishing to become a professional contrarian, or (more realistically) anyone who wishes to maintain an upright moral stance in the face of popular or personal complacency. I cannot say that I agree with all of the author's espoused views, but he doubtlessly anticipated some such differences of opinion. Therefore I suggest that this book is to be treated both as textbook and exercise book for developing an opinion on many controversial. From his advice one should learn how and why to take a stand in both the heat of argument or the chill of general complacency and then instantly apply the techniques of open criticism to his own views. In my humble opinion, that is what the man would've desired to see in a young contrarian (feel free to disagree with me though). I suppose my only criticism of it is that it is far too short to provide an even view of the examples described therein, but I repeat that this is a synthesis: it is not enough to make an informed decision on big issues, but enough to comprehend the author.

Man hatte mir das Buch ausgeliehen und ich habe es geradezu verschlungen. Eigentlich lese ich nicht sehr gerne english, aber der Schreibstil war so direkt und nicht-hochtrabent und lebendig, dass das kein Problem war. Im wesentlichen reflektiert der Autor in den verschiedenen Kapiteln "nur". Dabei geht es im Wesentlichen immer wieder um die Beziehung zwischen Individuum und Gesellschaft. Aber auch Anderes wird gestriffen. Ich, der ich selbst eine leicht philosophische Ader habe, konnte mit dem Buch viel anfangen. Ich habe mir viel angestrichen. Der Mensch, der mir das Buch auslieh bekam es nat. zurück und ich kaufte mir eine eigene Ausgabe, die einwandfrei und schnell ankam. Eines meiner Lieblingszitate aus dem Buch ist folgendes: "The essence of the independent mind lies not in what he thinks, but in how he thinks." .Oder: "The truth cannot lie, but if it could it would lie somewhere in between". Doch, ich persönlich mochte das Buch sehr.

My first read of prolific author Christopher Hitchens who's online videos and debates I have consumed. In a world where we are daily swamped with political and religious rhetoric and lies, his call for personal scrutiny and discernment is refreshing. The book is directed as a guide for a free thinking younger generation to question and take a stand for truth and justice using his extensive personal experiences as a journalist and social commentator. I was struck by the eloquence and honest self appraisal of the author and his finely crafted words caused me on a number of occasions to reach for my dictionary to ascertain the finer meanings of his words This book has had a powerful affect on my increasing cynicism and disillusionment with politics and religions and has given inspiration to "an older contrarian" I expect to read many more of his books!

Current events tell of many stories where the voices ( or votes) of the people are being hijacked by the political parties. It so happens that people who don't further inquire into the political soundbytes that are spewed, are in effect disenfranchised from the political process and unwittingly conform to misinformation. In this book of we find Christopher Hitchens engaged in a series of letters, written in earnest prose about the necessity of nonconformity for the survival of the modern liberal society. Each small chapter, acts as an addressed letter in an ongoing correspondence with an unnamed addressee, referred to as " X ". The overall theme of this work is concerning the function of the "Radical" and the places in the world where political situations had called for the Radical to dissent from the collective instinct. To dissent is to remain independently minded and askew from where the collective instinct has become the insecure mob - blindly following an "infallible" leader. Hitchens doesn't hesitate to disclaim that the sources of irrationality and prejudice that stem from the mob populist consensus, are petty, private, archaic and primeval urges ; "There is no limit to human anti-intellectualism so there must be no limit to reason." It must be noted somewhere in this review that Hitchens is an exceptional prose stylist and his letters are wonderfully engaging and nuanced from the outset, often striking a self-reflective note. Included his letters are personal lessons that were learned firsthand while answering the call to investigate a Moral crisis. These investigations certainly grounds his commentary when citing literary scholarship, ranging over vast landscapes of the humanities and politics. The first of Hitchens letters' begins clarifying the role of the radical or dissident, with examples of individual struggles against the collective instinct. For Hitchens, the dissident is to be earned rather than claimed. . . i.e The one's who have earned to call themselves "dissident" were those who took a risk in going against "surreptitious conscription's" that are employed in order to exploit and control the masses. The radical dissident also maintains a commitment to explore the unconventional and contrary positions, which is shown to be a honorable commitment to personal integrity . This commitment is a "social contract" that is a prerequisite to democracy and to civilization, with Justice ideally taking precedence over corruption. Throughout the letters Hitchens repeatedly informs the reader on how the dissenter deals with the struggle of societal conflict, where tribal solidarity and the intolerance that arises from it can be led to militarism, where the Law suddenly serves the interests of the State first - and the People second. To be ever more clear and concise, Hitchens later provides important aspects of being a radical in contrast to merely being a "reactionary" among other pitfalls that the radical must avoid. For clarity and to avoid confusion, the radical dissident or contrarian does not rest solely in any particular disagreement, but uses dissent as a way of being perpetually at odds with the mainstream. Hitchens gives applicable advice about being eternally vigilant and persistent in the face of unrelenting opposition through his journalistic experience, coupled with his remarkable use of numerous literary examples. One cannot easily dismiss Hitchens as employing merely idealistic anecdotes which can't be used in "real" complex situations, when one purveys the numerous examples that grounds his arguments - especially when the arguments are recorded from people who experienced confrontations with the intolerant mobs and/or the State which sought to suffocate and extinguish the dissident voice of the disenfranchised minority. . . such as the abolitionist John Brown, Emile Zola, Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandella to only name a few who regarded a compromise as a disgrace. Ever more helpful is Hitchens when further describing the mindset one needs in order to dissent when necessary. These descriptions further outline good tactics to use when in opposition, as when dissecting common arguments employed against those who oppose status quo's and further capitalizing by providing great rejoinders to those arguments. Hitchens highlights the use of irony to expose or to question - using methods of sarcasm while enduring an "As if" duration while criticizing the system - always a dissident from the status quo. This helps the dissident when engaging a non-violent political rebellion. Patiently embrace the struggle and make it your own. But the use of irony or sarcasm in a critical fashion something, Hitchens would characterize as "behaving literally and acting ironically". "Behaving literally and acting ironically" is opposed to “a world of timidity” where everyone is trying to be politically correct and where identities are constructed around one’s “offendedness” to any sort of direct criticism. There are other concerns mentioned that are directed against the "concilliary" minded, who argue for the suppression of known facts by the following rationale that sometimes the truth cant or shouldn't be told at this time. For Hitchens this notion of the "concilliary minded" also promotes censorship of criticism, such as when the satirical questions the obvious. Although Hitchens jokes such a radical can be boring, he still takes time to suggest for the employment of different types of "wit" humor that has been employed in radical statements or criticisms in order to soften the cushion. All throughout these letters are references of the courageous determination of individual people and their spontaneous resistance to episodes of bullying or bigotry, or a challenging "pedagogical stupidity", somehow being effective enough to dishearten those whose courage was mob-derived. Hitchens providing his own observations and literary examples of the fact, that noble or moral reactions be shown as being innate - stressing that these reactions will continue to occur and without them being dependent for their occurrence upon the transmission of "morality tales". Indeed there can be shown where moral reactions take place spontaneously. The narration always includes many examples of different times and places where the role of the dissident or one who speaks out in the cause of morality, is not confined to the saintly or celebrity and is usually more genuine. These examples seem to be a valid argument against the claim that religious belief is necessary condition for moral actions - soon afterwards, Hitchens uses many examples to demonstrate how the argument of morality being dependent upon a mythic or religious transmission is a misapprehension of what really takes place. This comes to the letter that dissents from institutions, particularly religious institutions that actually ask that people to "check your intellect at the door" and listen to the "wise person" or "books of wisdom", further aspiring mental annihilation. This subtle imposed ignorance keeps the masses in a haze, but sufficiently free to do the bidding of its leaders, however harmful they may be. This quieting of the faculties of reason easily endangers people, making them more susceptible to being deluded by the current religious conformism, centrism or large consensus. One ever common example of the mental dangers of Non-judgement, are people becoming morally apathetic or being "non-critical" on positions which has often led to moral transgressions of those who decide to remain neutral in times of crisis - such as the Catholic German Priest's being concilliary or somewhat accommodating to Hitler and his political purposes. It is in this context where Hitchens of his own term he likens, "anti-theism" as part of a ongoing criticism of Religion and its harmful applications. One notable criticism regarding Religion and its harmful applications, is of how the Christian claim of "vicarious redemption" is in fact, repulsive - with any sort of actual application rendered absurd ; For example Hitchens writes, "I would not throw my numberless sins onto a scapegoat and expect them to pass from me" It follows that you should not assume anothers actual crimes as if they were your own; For one thing you really didn't commit them and might have died than instead of committing them - this impossible action of vicarious redemption robs people of individual responsibility. In short, this claim is not intellectually honest and is therefore adverse to grounded reasoning. This is certainly a thought provoking book that is enjoyable to read and useful to employ. Regardless of what one thinks of the arguments and positions put forth in these letters, Hitchens always puts forth sound rationale for why he thinks the way he does - ever provoking the rational salience of a fellow contrarian.

Hitchens nos habla de personajes disidentes, el uso del lenguaje, religión, libertad de expresión y un toque de sus experiencias personales para ayudar a los ‘jovenes contrarios’ a tomar su camino

A genius wrote a grand book. Too bad for us he writes no more.