Greatest modern champion of secularism?

[afleitch]

What is this? This is the sort of list some edgy Christian would put together. I partly take that back; this list is very Atlas Forum

In the modern era you could say Jonas Salk for his medical contributions and or Gloria Steinem for her views on feminism and early advocacy of a lot of current mainstream issues. James Randi was the most effective of the 'skeptics.'

I agree with the inclusion of Carl Sagan.

If your list is primarily Brits making a quick buck fifteen years ago to argue on Christian college campuses that's quite sheltered.

[afleitch]

It's odd to think Hitchens died 10 years ago this month. I'd like to think he'd have not only hated Trump given his views on conspiracism and the embryonic 'birther' campaign against Obama, but hated also 'muh centrism' for enabling him.

But his widow has rightly refused wannane biographers from trying to 'claim' him as for or against any culture war tenet.

[afleitch]

Wasn't that Hitchens guy a massive neocon and a Dubya/Blair fanboi?

Ewwww.

Gross.

Hitchens was contrarian. He was a Nader to Bush to Obama supporter for numerous reasons apparent to him.

He was 'radicalised' on the need for foreign intervention by Bosnia, Kosovo (intervention to help European Muslims) and Rwanda. That what happened on 9/11 and in Afghanistan and against the Kurds in Iraq (whom he supported) was seen by him as an extension of 'all that' a mere half decade later, shouldn't suprise anyone at the time. (Bosnia was seared into my young mind too and still colours my views today, as Dunblane still does on gun control.)