Important, entertaining, limited.
3 stars
Rather than rehashing old arguments against common religious beliefs, this work is a systematic take-down of the myth that religion is a net-benefit for society. It's an educational and entertaining read, although Hitchens' can be a touch verbose and his choice of word at times leans esoteric. Depending on the chapter, "God is Not Great" could be a pleasure to read or a slog, but my biggest issue with it is that, while Hitchens didn't limit his critique to abrahamic religions, he stopped short of addressing the underlying issue of magical thinking in any form, not only religion, as a terrible and destructive framework for understanding reality and deciding upon a moral framework with which to engage with the world and others around us. In my opinion, this limits the utility of the work and opens it up to endless debate over historical and doctrinal points. There are some problematic …
Rather than rehashing old arguments against common religious beliefs, this work is a systematic take-down of the myth that religion is a net-benefit for society. It's an educational and entertaining read, although Hitchens' can be a touch verbose and his choice of word at times leans esoteric. Depending on the chapter, "God is Not Great" could be a pleasure to read or a slog, but my biggest issue with it is that, while Hitchens didn't limit his critique to abrahamic religions, he stopped short of addressing the underlying issue of magical thinking in any form, not only religion, as a terrible and destructive framework for understanding reality and deciding upon a moral framework with which to engage with the world and others around us. In my opinion, this limits the utility of the work and opens it up to endless debate over historical and doctrinal points. There are some problematic moments, as expected from a prominent member of the "New Atheist" movement, but beyond nothing so egregious that I would recommend against someone reading the book with a skeptical eye.
