The Subtle Knife: Peter Hitchens on His Faith, His Brother, and Our Cultural Trajectory

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I love the quote, "Society needs pessimists; it probably needs optimists too, but I can't for the life of me think why?" 🙂

"We live in an afterglow --- the period after sunset when you've still got a lot of light" yikes, beautiful and brutal metaphor

Aitken has a lovely voice: plummy, deep, rich. I think he would make an excellent audiobook narrator.

Thank you. A well-conducted and interesting interview.

We don´t have a lot of journalists like Peter Hitchens in the west anymore. And that´s a shame!

I love listening to Peter Hitchens and I've read a number of his books - but oh! I do so wish he would not mumble.

Thank you, Mssrs Aitken and Hitchens, for this fascinating and very entertaining interview. I came through a similar process up to my teens and because a Christian after being expressly an atheist (as my father was). Having read your columns for many years, Mr Hitchens, it was good to hear from you live here. Also I had never put you and your brother Christopher together. I so agree with so much you say! Yes I think the desire of justice is very deep and yes we long for it (I certainly do) but we will never see it in this life. Yes atheism is a choice and how clearly you explain that we live in a post-Christian society now in the UK. I find myself on the same page here (for what it is worth) with just about everything you say and the experiences of nice people (siblings in my case, sadly) becoming very nasty when circumstances change. Thank you.

Thank you , great interview.

When i was 18 i simply could not get enough Christopher Hitchens. I had simply filed away Peter as Christophers mad, rather diminutive older brother, and paid almost no attention. Now, a decade later, through drips and drabs i have found myself much further into Peter’s camp than in his late brother’s. What a remarkable pair of brothers. Both near equal in their oratory skill but with wildly different worldviews. Its almost unfair Christopher is still not hear to offer repost to Peter’s positions which only seem to grow more sound with time

I appreciate this sort of quite, sensible, honest conversation.

He even disagrees with being called a contrarian!

Thank God for Peter Hitchens... And Eeyore.

I notice that Peter Hitchens has a tendency to appear to finish a point, but as soon as the interviewer begins to ask another question, Hitchens then interrupts him with an afterthought. This may or may not be a deliberate technique but it certainly establishes the pecking order in the interview, leaving the interviewer wondering whether to ask the next question as planned or to focus on what was said in the afterthought.

Excellent interview! Very well done.

What a wonderful video

Ooh. Those final two words of Mr Hitchens! Subtle knife! Indeed.

As a fellow ex-Trot trying to find my way to faith and praying for forgiveness from God, I loved this interview.

A fascinating conversation, gentlemen - thank you.

Wonderful interview, lovely setting.