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This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Christopher Hitchens article. This is not a forum for general discussion of the subject of the article.
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Christopher Hitchens was a Language and literature good articles nominee, but did not meet the good article criteria at the time. There may be suggestions below for improving the article. Once these issues have been addressed, the article can be renominated. Editors may also seek a reassessment of the decision if they believe there was a mistake.
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Latest comment: 5 months ago2 comments1 person in discussion
We are told (in this Wikipedia article) that Hitchens “read philosophy, politics, and economics” at college, but what did he actually major in? Is it—or was it—possible to acquire a college degree in the UK without majoring in anything? Considering that in the UK a Bachelor's degree is only three years (it’s always been four years in the US), his formal education seems pretty meager to me—at least for someone who styled himself as a public intellectual. Let’s compare Hitchens to, say, Carl Sagan. Sagan held a (four-year) Bachelor’s in biology, a Master’s in physics, and a doctorate in astronomy, all from the University of Chicago. He taught at prestigious schools and actually worked at his chosen field. Only then did he become a public figure, and he only gradually and occasionally branched--when prompted--in his public discourse from his field of expertise. My impression of Hitchens is that he was a pompous, pugnacious, arrogant person, spouting off ex cathedra in public about anything he capriciously felt like spouting off on. I doubt I should like him regardless, but I want to be shown that he at least had some kind of authority about something. So far, I just don’t see it. What am I missing? The article should say. TheScotch (talk) 02:38, 19 April 2026 (UTC)Reply
I just Googled "third-class degree". (According to this article Hitchens graduated with a third-class degree. We don't use these sorts of designations in the states.) Apparently it means somthing like "just barely passing". That doesn't help explain how Hitchens became someone worthy of his own Wikipedia article. (Just to be clear: I'm not questioning Hitchens's "notability" according to Wikipedia criteria. He's obviously mentioned all over the place in reputable sources. I just think the Wikipedia article should explain or at least hint at why that should be.)TheScotch (talk) 04:54, 19 April 2026 (UTC)Reply
level-5 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
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