This week on The Knight Tube, Stephen Knight (@Gspellchecker) welcomes author Matt Johnson. They will be discussing Matt’s new book ‘How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment’.

Video Version on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6a4Ccp9zhQ

0:00 Intro
0:29 Why focus on Christopher Hitchens to make the points in your book?
2:59 Why does ‘the left’ need saving?
5:55 Leaving the left for the right and Dave Rubin.
09:36 What is meant by ‘the counter-enlightenment’?
11:30 Trump and the right’s hypocrisy on free speech
14:10 Richard Seymour’s terrible book on Christopher Hitchens (‘Unhitched’)
18:36 How much did ‘The Rushdie Affair’ impact the life of Christopher Hitchens?
22:04 Has freedom of speech improved where Islam is concerned since the death of Christopher Hitchens?
25:20 Would it help for people to simply admit they are scared to criticise Islam for safety reasons?
28:57 Stephen Knight’s debate with Chris Hedges about Islam
30:28 What explains the Putin apologism from the American right?
33:34 Christopher Hitchens’s support for the invasion of Iraq
40:12 What did Christopher Hitchens think about identity politics?
45:18 What is ‘fearless liberalism’? How can it be applied?
49:16 The legacy of Jeremy Corbyn
56:34 Disappointment with Hitchens’s dislike of Sci-fi and preference for limericks over puns.
01:00:14 Sensationalist Youtube Thumbnails

Stephen Knight’s Substack: www.sknight.substack.com

Buy Matt Johnson’s Book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchens-Save-Left-Rediscovering-Counter-Enlightenment/dp/1634312341

Support the podcast at http://www.patreon.com/gspellchecker

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