Beyond Atheism Podcast

Christopher Hitchens was perhaps the wittiest and most vibrant of the atheist “Four Horsemen” until his passing in 2011. In addition to religious criticism, over his long career as a writer and journalist, “Hitch” turned his critical pen against many figures, including Bill and Hillary Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and even Mother Teresa. But his career was not without controversy, particularly his support for the Iraq War in 2003, which seemed to contradict his socialist politics. To talk about Hitchens’s complex legacy – and other subjects including cancel culture, YouTube debates, and the links between socialism and atheism – we are joined by Dr. Ben Burgis, a philosophy instructor at Rutgers University and author of “Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters.”
For bonus content, available exclusively to our supporters on Patreon, we talk with Ben about his recent interview with Christopher’s brother, Peter Hitchens, and about Hitch’s legendary affinity for drinking.
For more on Ben: https://benburgis.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCByZMNYpHFEetI0s3deYH2g
Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenBurgis
Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters: https://redemmas.org/titles/36536-christopher-hitchens--what-he-got-right--how-he-went-wrong--and-why-he-still-matters
Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: A Critique Of The Contemporary Left: https://redemmas.org/titles/34877-canceling-comedians-while-the-world-burns--a-critique-of-the-contemporary-left
Charlie Kirk debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VWFlteBniw
Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander
Nathan’s website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/
If you find the podcast valuable and want to support it, check out our Patreon page, where you will also find bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/beyond_atheism You can also contribute by going to https://anchor.fm/beyond-atheism and clicking the “Support” button. We are grateful for every contribution.

In this episode, we’re joined by Elliot Hanowski, a Canadian historian and author of Towards a Godless Dominion: Unbelief in Interwar Canada (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023). We discuss the small but vocal atheist and secular movement in 1920s and 1930s Canada. Elliot explains how this period represents an important link between the nineteenth-century freethought movement and the explosive, radical change of the 1960s. We learn how atheist groups developed alliances with socialists and communists and became a part of the free speech movement in “Toronto the Good.” We also reflect on what lessons these past experiences can offer for present-day secularists. Finally, we learn whether a “True Agnostic” can hate religious people.
Towards a Godless Dominion: Unbelief in Interwar Canada: https://www.mqup.ca/towards-a-godless-dominion-products-9780228018834.php?page_id=46&
Beyond Atheism is produced and distributed by Atheists United Studios: https://www.atheistsunited.org/au-studios

In this episode, Todd and Nathan discuss whether atheists can be moral. Is everything permitted without God? Where do we get our morality from? And what does jaywalking (or lack thereof) say about different societies?
Secular Community Survey: https://secularcommunities.com/scs2021
Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander
Follow Todd on Medium: https://todd-tavares.medium.com/
(Addendum: in the episode, Nathan mentioned research about conservatives and disgust reactions. Here is an article about this: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/the-yuck-factor/580465/ But recent research shows things might be more complicated: https://digest.bps.org.uk/2019/11/27/no-conservatives-dont-experience-feelings-of-disgust-any-more-than-liberals/)

Our most controversial episode yet! In this episode, Nathan and Todd ask: what is identity politics? Is ALL politics really identity politics? Todd has some thought experiments for Nathan.
Le Chiffre (atheist villain in Casino Royale): https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=62&v=J0U0oY_nqbg&feature=youtu.be
Secular Community Survey: https://secularcommunities.hfa.ucsb.edu/
Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander

This week’s guest drops some shocking information: not only is religion declining around the globe, but atheists are proving to be more moral than fundamentalist Christians. To discuss how this came to be, we’re joined by Phil Zuckerman, a professor of sociology at Pitzer College in Claremont, California, and the author of several books, including What It Means to be Moral, The Nonreligious, Living the Secular Life, Faith No More, and Society Without God. Among other things, we talk about the evidence for and causes of secularization, the future of religion, and the roots of morality. We also find out, for example, whether a true secular person can have sex outside the holy bonds of marriage or tell their kids about Santa.
In the bonus section, available on Patreon exclusively for subscribers, we talk about Phil’s establishment of the first Secular Studies program in the world at Pitzer College and whether academics are paying enough attention to the massive decline of religion.
For more on Phil and his works: https://philzuckerman.com/
Phil’s latest article in Salon, “Staunch atheists show higher morals than the proudly pious, from the pandemic to climate change”: https://www.salon.com/2021/08/21/staunch-atheists-show-higher-morals-than-the-proudly-pious-from-the-pandemic-to-climate-change/
New edition of Society without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us about Contentment: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.18574/9781479851119/html
Upcoming virtual book launch (September 15th) for the two-volume Cambridge History of Atheism: https://atheismsecularismhumanism.wordpress.com/seminars/
Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander
Nathan’s website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/
If you find the podcast valuable and want to support it, check out our Patreon page, where you will also find bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/beyond_atheism You can also contribute by going to https://anchor.fm/beyond-atheism and clicking the “Support” button. We are grateful for every contribution.