Christopher Hitchens, Thomas Jefferson and Ridicule

A debate was held recently in London, the topic: "Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world?" I wasn't there but I've watched enough Christopher Hitchens clips on youtube to know how these things tend to go, so I wasn't surprised at the Telegraph's account of the debate.

Hitchens is a professional. On the one hand, he's meant for the stage with a sardonic wit and the ability to project his version of the truth with impressive clarity. On the other hand, and more importantly, he has a sturdy academic base, as evidenced by his erudition, professorship and biographical works. These more serious credentials (along with the above mentioned wit) collide with the sweaty impatience of an everlasting hangover to produce the sort of heroic condescensions seen here, and here.

But how does Christopher Hitchens exist in the potent form we see today? Perhaps it was his proximity to the writings of Thomas Jefferson (Hitchens has written biographies on Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and George Orwell) that attuned him to the necessity of ridicule:

"Ridicule is the only weapon which can be used against unintelligible propositions."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Francis Van der Kemp July 30, 1816

"Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush. 21 April 1803

Jefferson, a deist and author of the Jefferson Bible, clearly had a point. Where reasoned argument fails, ridicule is a last resort. Or perhaps a first one...

After all, ridicule—for better and for worse—is the invisible gargoyle guarding all of societies norms. Laws provide necessary structure and recourse, but ridicule plays a fundamental, albeit amorphous role in governing all that falls outside its domain.

For example, there's no law against owning a Hummer. But ridicule has surely done its part to regulate the expanded growth of Hummer sales (in fact, they've sharply fallen off!)

Inversely, there are wide-spread laws against committing acts of violence. And yet, in cultures where violence is glorified, an unwillingness to commit violence might be met with charges of softness or cowardice.

Even in the polite world of academia, ridicule is a significant force. It acts as a deterrent. One needn't always employ it because the potential of ridicule is itself enough. It's written onto our psyches.

I have this hunch that it's ridicule that keeps the faithful from getting more specific about their beliefs, meanwhile allowing atheists like Christopher Hitchens to be outspoken and trample them in debate. Hitchens, like Thomas Jefferson, knows the utility of ridicule, and is using it to great effect.