The Problem With Rhetoric in Public Debate

Our short-lived Christopher Hitchens ends in our second episode and full-length decoding of the punchy Brit.

This time we are examining one of his well-known religion-themed debates, debating the question 'Is Islam a Religion of Peace?' for The 92nd Street Y, New York with the academic and writer Tariq Ramadan. This one feels like a bit of a throwback to a post-9/11 & Iraq war world. New Atheism was still a cultural force with some punch but it had also received its own fair share of body blows since its earlier days as a plucky new contender.

Regardless of how you feel about that particular genre, we suggest you don a fedora, pour yourself a stiff drink, and be prepared for a heady mixture of substantive points, moralizing rhetoric, and witty retorts from both of these seasoned debaters.

Also covered in the episode Andrew Huberman and whether sad women's tears have unique properties, Jordan Hall teaches everyone how to play the guitar, James Lindsay discovers the Logos... and Chris tells us all about his office fridge adventures.

Links

• Hitchens and Ramadan debate at 92nd Street Y New York
• Huberman's TikTok video about women's tears and his related tweets
• James Lindsay's Twitter thread on demons and the Logos
• Reddit Thread with a link to Jordan Hall's Guitar tutorial
• Daniel Laken's free course on psychology methodology and statistical inference