15 ms·

In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

669 points by tieistoowhite 15y ago

tptacek 15y ago
Ah, shit.
- Mithrandir 15y ago
  You stole those words from me! (just kidding) RIP.
  - tptacek 15y ago
    You want 'em? I'm getting tired of them.
    - Mithrandir 15y ago
      This has been too depressing of a year. Where's the good news?!
      - dman 15y ago
        We will find out in 80 years time when the eulogies are written.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
- ddw 15y ago
  A lot of people are making this joke in these first minutes and it's ok. I upvoted you. But I'd like to make the point that he stared death in the face and didn't finally profess his love of god and all things mighty like some wanted him to and I'll always respect for that. One of the good ones.
- funkah 15y ago
  It's a lame joke, just accept that
siculars 15y ago
Damn. Miss you.
robertk 15y ago
We shall have to work faster. http://yudkowsky.net/other/yehuda http://yudkowsky.net/other/yehuda
- philwelch 15y ago
  You know, I think it's really distasteful that you people use the deaths of people who probably wouldn't have even agreed with the message of that essay to promote the ideas in that essay.
  - VMG 15y ago
    He went in for cancer treatment, so he clearly wanted to avoid death, which is what the essay is about.
    - jpulgarin 15y ago
      Christopher is largely dismissive of the life-extension techniques that transhumanists espouse, such as cryogenic preservation: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/11/hitchens-201011?currentPage=all http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/11/hitchens-...
      - robertk 15y ago
        Your site says you operate under Crocker's rules, Julian, so please hear me out. (And to Phil Welch: I understand, but allow me the claim that he probably would have agreed with the message. And even if the distastefulness depends on the probability of a dead man's agreement with a position, should we not prevent ourselves from lashing out at people who post the message so that people may at least read and decide for themselves on an issue as important as this?) Firstly, Christopher is not dismissive of life-extension techniques that transhumanists espouse. If he could live longer right now due to a technique formerly classified a "espoused by transhumanists," he would choose to, as is evinced all over that essay. Rather, he is largely dismissive of life-extension techniques that don't work. The transhumanism part has nothing to do with it. In that essay, cryonics is lumped in with the paragraph that discusses bad advice. So we can agree that Christopher considers cryonics as bad science, the same way he considers eating the granulated essence of the peach pit to prevent overwhelming growth of a malignant neoplasm bad science. On the other hand, the rest of the essay discusses good science, that is, science which has been proven to work. He discusses its "near-miraculous" quality. Perfusion of chemicals to preserve and prepare brain tissue is already textbook science, just not applied to whole brains. The case of Clive Wearing is one piece of an assortment of evidence that consciousness is a clever illusion (the philosopher of consciousness, Daniel Dennett, can say a lot here). Ultimately, cryonics is science that (by definition) has not been proved to work, but nonetheless serious science. Please don't deny that. Harvard neuroscientist Kenneth Hayworth explains this much better than I could, so I leave the floor to him: http://brainpreservation.org/documents/killed_by_bad_philosophy.pdf http://brainpreservation.org/documents/killed_by_bad_philoso... This issue is much too important to worry about what's distasteful.
andywood 15y ago
I knew he didn't have long, but this still feels so sudden. I got so much out of his way of framing things. I'm grateful that he wrote and spoke so much while he was here.
staunch 15y ago
Too short, but he won at life.
- chalst 15y ago
  62 years is OK for someone who burned the candle of his life at both ends the way he did.
  - prodigal_erik 15y ago
    "... and found it gave a lovely light", in his words.
robbrown451 15y ago
He and his family are in my....well, in my sincere thoughts that I say in my head directed towards a nonspecific metaphorical anthropomorphic being.
thomasgerbe 15y ago
Moments of his life in pictures. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/christopher-hitchens-slideshow-201112#slide=1 http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/christoph...
TomOfTTB 15y ago
Hitchens was essentially a Marxist (by his own admission) who was also in favor of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the foreign policy it represented. So there was very little I agreed with him on. But I'm terribly upset about this and I'll tell you why. Because of his willingness to debate. I'd literally scan right wing talk radio schedules for his name because you just knew it would be a great show. In a world where so many people in our modern society hide in their little cliques I think a smart person who is willing to have their ideas challenged is the most valuable person of all. Losing a voice like that is a true tragedy. So, with all due respect, I hope he is wrong in his beliefs about the after life because if there is a heaven he's surely earned his place in it. Edit: On that note this is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4JJqXISBiI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4JJqXISBiI (though skip the first 4 minutes of the host self aggrandizement)
- ddw 15y ago
  He's so incredibly succinct and persuasive in his points when it comes to religion and I always love to hear these debates. His memoir 'Hitch-22' is well worth the read, especially now (the opening in particular).
  - sriram_sun 15y ago
    Here is Hitchens on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christopher-hitchens http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christophe... - just delightful.
    - Stormbringer 15y ago
      I don't mean to sound petty or ungrateful for the link, but is there some other source of this, one that is visible outside of the US? Even better would be if it didn't require Flash.
      - spindritf 15y ago
        This one is visible outside of the US. Though maybe not everywhere.
dreamux 15y ago
He was my favourite thinker and orator, I'm very sad to see him go.
Jach 15y ago
"God is Not Great" is trending on Twitter right now... (Hilarious material too.) Too bad Hitchens missed it.
- tdfx 15y ago
  A fitting exit on his part. Got them riled up one last time. Update: #hitchslap seems to be doing well, also.
andyl 15y ago
He was a straight up debater who could discuss ideas on their merits, and seemed to make up his own mind on issues. Gone too soon.
zalew 15y ago
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitchens-dies-aged-62?CMP=twt_fd http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitc... Hitchens gave short shrift to the "insulting" suggestion that cancer might persuade him to change his position where reason had not, arguing that to ditch principles "held for a lifetime, in the hope of gaining favour at the last minute" would be a "hucksterish choice", and urging those who had taken it upon themselves to pray for him not to "trouble deaf heaven with your bootless cries".
- twelvechairs 15y ago
  The guardian 'obituary' is also quite informative (including a reasonably good amount of biography): http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitchens-obituary http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitc...
pessimist 15y ago
The first time I read Christopher Hitchens was his takedown of Mother Teresa - "The Missionary Position". It was emblematic of his writing - shocking, irreverent, but beautifully written and argued. The most intellectually honest pundit I have ever read - even when I disagreed with him. Sad to see him go.
RomanAClef 15y ago
Wow, right after America gave up the ghost in Iraq too. From http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/2011/11/oser-dire.html http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/2011/11/oser-dire.html: " Why does it also not delight me that the extent of the allegations against him, at least on some showings, is “unwanted advances”? It might be argued, by the cynical or the naive, that all “advances” begin that way. True, a period of a matter of months is specified, but don’t I seem to recall, in President Obama’s jaunty account of his courtship, that it took him a certain amount of time to “wear down” his intended target? I dare say that many of us could say the same, while reminiscing among friends, and still hope to avoid getting too many sidelong looks. But in the present circumstances there seems to be a danger of a straight-out politicization of the sexual harassment issue, with many people deciding it in advance on the simple basis of campaign calculations, or—to put it more crudely—of whose ox is being gored. This appears to represent a general coarsening by silence, and yet another crude element in a depressing campaign. " -Hitchens I have always suspected that Christopher Hitchens is really a child of Indianapolis or Topeka who spent a year in London while an undergraduate at the North Dakota State Technical and Agricultural Community College or some such and returned with an accent and a ubiquitous unopened umbrella so thoroughly does his Englishness come off as an affect. And, to crib from our friends across the pond, he comes off as a real tosser. "I dare say"? It's as if, sensing his own impending demise, he's angling to be played by Maggie Smith in the biopic. Any man willing to gratuitously fondle the mother tongue as Hitch does above is obviously going to be an apologist for molestation. If you're a liberal, then you'll find it particularly appalling that Hitch first made his conservative bones, you'll pardon the expression, not by cheering for the death of a million Iraqis, but by stroking feverishly over Monica and Kathleen Willey. This was evidence of Clinton's despicable character, whereas here we are in grave danger of "politicizing . . . the sexual harassment issue," as if chalking it up as an issue has not by fucking default cast it into the baleful form of politics.
- JoachimSchipper 15y ago
  This is in bad taste. Also, I have no idea what it's about, but does "Any man willing to gratuitously fondle the mother tongue as Hitch does above is obviously going to be an apologist for molestation" really constitute a valid argument?
chjj 15y ago
dammit. hitchens barely got his trousers off.
- soitgoes 15y ago
  Always made me smile when he finished off a debate with the "We've barely got our trousers off" line.
  - bravura 15y ago
    Did he do this often? I was only aware of him using this turn of phrase when debating O'Reilly ("We barely got our trousers off, we should pursue this.") [youtube link taken down by Fox News, sorry]
    - soitgoes 15y ago
      Here's another time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3whAxMgdc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3whAxMgdc. I'm pretty sure I've heard him use it a few times.
arjn 15y ago
Not unexpected, he's been ill for a while. I will miss his razor wit and intellect. The clarity of his thought, writing and speech was a breath of cool fresh air amidst the unfortunate smog that is modern media, especially television. Am currently reading Hitch-22, have already read "God is not Great" and would recommend it.
arepb 15y ago
A good landing page from VF is an excellent starter for those who are tiptoeing into Hitchens for the first time. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens
dmerfield 15y ago
My favourite Hitchens moment: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BP51NnoVErA http://youtube.com/watch?v=BP51NnoVErA
mturmon 15y ago
Such a sharp thinker, with unbelievable wit and depth of memory. You can get a sense of his political style from his fascination with the remark from Israeli peace activist Israel Shahak, "there are beginning to be some encouraging signs of polarization". Meaning that usually, well almost always, you have to choose sides. Draw the line between the sides yourself if necessary. It's Hitchens' writings that introduced me to the early, dry, humorous works of Evelyn Waugh (best known is "Scoop", but also Decline and Fall, and the Sword of Honour trilogy). Some of Hitchens' best writing was literary appreciation, not polemics.
mattyohe 15y ago
#GodIsNotGreat is trending worldwide. It's quite entertaining to see the live timeline of people freaking out: http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23GodIsNotGreat http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23GodIsNotGreat
- obtu 15y ago
  Seems like Twitter censored it from the trending spot; a pity.
  - bravura 15y ago
    @johnwilander: #GodIsNotGreat pulled from trends because christians protest. But #ReasonsToBeatYourGirlfriend allowed. Stay classy @Twitter
veidr 15y ago
Hitchens was wrong about a lot in my view, but for many atheists he was an important figure. He eloquently made the case for our faith in empirical evidence and the scientific knowing of reality, and he didn't pussy out at the end. Knowing he was dying, and soon on his way into that void, still looked that motherfucker in the face, and stayed frosty. Wish he could have died from old age, though.
- Hari_Seldon 15y ago
  "empirical evidence and the scientific knowing of reality" Not sure what you mean by this, do you really believe that science validates a specific view on what constitutes reality?
  - gnaritas 15y ago
    Science defines our best view of reality, period. And by best, I mean most accurate representation of objective reality.
    - veidr 15y ago
      Yes, this is exactly what I meant, thank you.
Vivtek 15y ago
I first learned of Christopher Hitchens in the run-up to Iraq, which he espoused. I chalked him up as a Bad Guy, and moved my limited attention span on down the pike. Only recently had I realized that he was a lot deeper than I'd given him credit for - and now he's dead. Life stinks.
- Stormbringer 15y ago
  Well, the Iraq war is interesting. The US sold a bunch of chemical/biological weapons to the Iraqis, and then years later used that as a pretext for war, being fairly sure that they would find them. Problem was, they weren't there any more, so the US looked stupid. What happened to those weapons of terror? Well, the Kurds can probably tell you. Suffice it to say that not everyone was a big fan of Saddam, and some people were legitimately happy to see the US overthrow Saddam. The main problems are this 1) bogus pretext for the war, lying to your own people 2) the means they used (bombing civilian infrastructure, cutting off power supplies to hospitals etc) And on that note, the US has this insane idea that if they interfere with other countries, mess with their economics etc then it makes people upset with $local_dictator... but it doesn't work like that, it just makes them and everyone else in the world pissed off at the US. 3) What they did afterwards. Sticking around and trying to make the Iraqis pay for it all by looting their resources. Not good. Afghanistan is even worse. The soviet union stuck their dick in the meat-grinder that is Afghanistan and were there for 20 years and it destroyed them and bankrupted them economically. How is the US going to fare any differently? Oh, you spent a trillion dollars on this war and your economy is in the hole for a trillion dollars. What a mysterious coincidence!
valgaze 15y ago
Astroid: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/Asteroid-Named-for-Christopher-Hitchens http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/Asteroid-Name... "An astroid...has been named after Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens. The asteroid orbits Mars, Jupiter, and Earth. It’s an ironic but fitting honor for an iconoclast who has spent much of his life shaking his fist at the heavens and the deities they may or may not host."
numair 15y ago
Okay, really. With all due respect to the passing of a fellow human, this story has absolutely nothing to do with hackers, with software development, with the startup business... I know people are going to reply to this with some reference to "but it is of intellectual interest!" -- but really, there are lots of different places on the Internet (thousands, maybe millions!) to discuss lots of different things. If you have begun to look at Hacker News as your sole source of news and information in the world -- of which such stories and their upvoting may be a sign -- you really need to diversify your life. It will be better for your health, and for your work. It would be great if we could allow this place remain a silo of thought on technical and business matters, and seek out other places and people for other sorts of information and discourse.
- antics 15y ago
  There is some truth to what you say, but who is going to be the arbiter of what is "hacker" content and what is not? You? And where does it end? Is a blog post detailing how to deal with stock options really hacker content, for example? HN is still a pretty small community, and regardless of whether or not it upvotes strict tech articles or not I think is besides the point. I come here because it's like being in the center of an intellectual panopticon, and to a large extent, I trust people here to show me things that will make me grow. I'm not interested in _everything_ posted here, but it is also not important to me (and I imagine a lot of other people as well) that all the articles here are strictly super technical.
  - numair 15y ago
    There's a variety of places from where we can get our news. For example, I'm super-concerned about the end result of the Euro crisis (which directly affects global businesses, such as the online businesses many of us are building, far more than is ever discussed here) -- but rather than looking for economic insight here, or posting articles about the matter here for discussion, I turn to the Financial Times, and talk to my friends who work in finance. You have to find the best outlet for information and discussions regarding the topic at hand; as it stands, Hacker News is an excellent place for discussion about technical topics, but if we continue to have more of this mainstream-type stuff because of a more general audience that chooses to use this as their version of CNN, we're going to quickly alienate more technical-minded people who come here to avoid general news topics. If you want this place to remain special, you have to keep it special.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
tdfx 15y ago
For anyone looking for a quick way to get a handle on who he was search YouTube for "hitchslap".
davesims 15y ago
As a person of long-held religious conviction I am deeply saddened to see this worthy adversary go. He had an uncanny ability to go straight for your mostly deeply held beliefs with the most trenchant rhetoric and yet somehow made you like him anyway. I think it's because with Hitchens, you knew he spoke from the integrity of his own convictions. He was nobody's man, on no one's bandwagon, carrying water for no political agenda other than his own desire to see the world become a better place. His libertarianism or Marxism was just a function of where his own intellect led him, and he never compromised for fashion or acceptance. That gave him gravitas, ethos. How else could you go after Mother Theresa and not get run out of...the World on a rail? Only Hitchens. He was often compared to Orwell and H.L. Mencken, and he was one of the few writers for whom the comparison was as a peer rather than a distant echo of a greater time. Who will pick up his mantle? Who has the intellect, wit or courage of their convictions that compares with Hitchens? At the moment I simply can't think of anyone.
- ajkessler 15y ago
  I don't think a finer thing could be said about a man. http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/a-hell-of-a-eulogy/ http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/a-hell-of-a-eulogy/
  - davesims 15y ago
    Thanks AJ, I appreciate it.
Benares 15y ago
He's in a better place, now. http://explosm.net/comics/2645/ http://explosm.net/comics/2645/
- Roritharr 15y ago
  Nice observation!
soitgoes 15y ago
It would be nice if HN could put up the black bar at the top of the page today for Hitch.
bravura 15y ago
Christoper Hitchens. Rest in Peace. One of the most articulate people, always incisive, even when I disagreed with him. I saw Hitchens speak at the New York Public Library, as part of their Live! series. Everyone retired to the garden afterwards, to take drinks. I spoke with Hitchens briefly. He called Mother Theresa "a bitch". I criticized his diction and argued that bitch was the wrong epithet. I don't recall my exact argument, but he conceded my point. I was elated, given that I considered (and still consider) Hitchens one of the most eloquent orators of our generation. In deference to him and his passing, I have mulled my choice of language in this comment. I am still grateful that I had the chance to engage this great polemicist.
- adriand 15y ago
  That's actually an interesting anecdote, because it demonstrates a willingness to admit when he was wrong, something that is often uncommon among so-called "great thinkers" - especially when they're engaging with a member of the "ordinary public". (My apologies if you're actually quite extraordinary.)
  - bravura 15y ago
    I think it's one of his most admirable qualities, namely that he will admit fault, change his position, and correct himself when he overspeaks. My apologies if you're actually quite extraordinary. None taken. [edit: A question I asked him at the NYPL, 55:30 in the video http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/god-not-great-debate-between-christopher-hitchens-and-al-sharpton http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/god-not-great-debate-between-... Q: In the beginning of the talk you expressed antipathy towards deism in principle, predicated along this particular interpretation of God as a supreme dictator and judge. Is that correct? CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: That would be correct, yes. Q: Now, if I could play devil’s advocate for God for a moment. Could you appreciate a God who watches us and our actions eagerly and with great interest because he created a world where everything is permitted? CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Yes, I can picture it, but I’m not without horror. (laughter) ]
randdythea 15y ago
test
pflats 15y ago
Above all, I really respect him for his piece on waterboarding. For those of you who didn't see it/hear about it, he wanted to try to settle the debate on whether waterboarding is torture or not. So he let himself be waterboarded. VF Article (site's getting hit hard): http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens200808 http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens... Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7u-Wk1aU-E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7u-Wk1aU-E The title of the article? "Believe Me, It's Torture".
markwherry 15y ago
Hitch asked us to think, to question, and to appreciate. There is surely no better embodiment of a hacker ethic than someone like Christopher Hitchens: a unique voice who challenged the world not to accept the status quo.
serverdude 15y ago
One of the foremost intellectuals - I disagreed with him on Iraq but scoured youtube to watch his debates - mostly against religious rabbis. There really was no one like him. "“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens
Nelson69 15y ago
I saw him on Morning Joe about 18 months ago. I like the idea of what they are trying to do with that show, I like that they have both sides on it, but it has more than enough grab ass (it's 2 hours too long every day..) Anyhow, they were getting ready to engage him in a serious conversation but it was a grab-ass session between segments, I can't remember the subject but they were goading folks to make some statement on something really absurd (it was sexist or Jersey Shore or something, I wish I could remember it) but Mika (the news reader lady) tried to get him to voice an opinion and he very eloquently said "pass" it was a bit flowery though and had just a hint of an insult back for even being asked to talk about it. I don't know if anyone had ever done that before, they clearly weren't prepared for it. He was there for something serious and he kept to it, regardless of views, much respect to the guy. In a pop-media bubble gum bullshit news and entertainment world he had a mission and kept to it. A tragic loss we need more of him and more like him.
martythemaniak 15y ago
There was a Munk Debate last year where Hitchens debated Tony Blair on whether religion was a force for good in the world. I highly recommend it: http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion Everyone knew Hitchens didn't have much time left, so it was great to see him doing what he does best against someone as high-profile as Blair.
- Florin_Andrei 15y ago
  And he beat Blair, who is no slouch either when it comes to debating. He was an amazing person. He could write and speak with such force, yet such complexity and refinement at the same time. I deeply admired him even when I disagreed with him completely. Farewell, Hitch.
zotz 15y ago
Not to be blunt, but I never understood why a drunken advocate of a murderous war gets such props no matter what his facility with words may have been.

669 points by tieistoowhite 15y ago

tptacek 15y ago

Ah, shit.

Mithrandir 15y ago
You stole those words from me! (just kidding) RIP.
- tptacek 15y ago
  You want 'em? I'm getting tired of them.
  - Mithrandir 15y ago
    This has been too depressing of a year. Where's the good news?!
    - dman 15y ago
      We will find out in 80 years time when the eulogies are written.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

ddw 15y ago
A lot of people are making this joke in these first minutes and it's ok. I upvoted you. But I'd like to make the point that he stared death in the face and didn't finally profess his love of god and all things mighty like some wanted him to and I'll always respect for that. One of the good ones.
funkah 15y ago
It's a lame joke, just accept that

siculars 15y ago

Damn. Miss you.

robertk 15y ago

We shall have to work faster. http://yudkowsky.net/other/yehuda http://yudkowsky.net/other/yehuda

philwelch 15y ago
You know, I think it's really distasteful that you people use the deaths of people who probably wouldn't have even agreed with the message of that essay to promote the ideas in that essay.
- VMG 15y ago
  He went in for cancer treatment, so he clearly wanted to avoid death, which is what the essay is about.
  - jpulgarin 15y ago
    Christopher is largely dismissive of the life-extension techniques that transhumanists espouse, such as cryogenic preservation: http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/11/hitchens-201011?currentPage=all http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/11/hitchens-...
    - robertk 15y ago
      Your site says you operate under Crocker's rules, Julian, so please hear me out. (And to Phil Welch: I understand, but allow me the claim that he probably would have agreed with the message. And even if the distastefulness depends on the probability of a dead man's agreement with a position, should we not prevent ourselves from lashing out at people who post the message so that people may at least read and decide for themselves on an issue as important as this?) Firstly, Christopher is not dismissive of life-extension techniques that transhumanists espouse. If he could live longer right now due to a technique formerly classified a "espoused by transhumanists," he would choose to, as is evinced all over that essay. Rather, he is largely dismissive of life-extension techniques that don't work. The transhumanism part has nothing to do with it. In that essay, cryonics is lumped in with the paragraph that discusses bad advice. So we can agree that Christopher considers cryonics as bad science, the same way he considers eating the granulated essence of the peach pit to prevent overwhelming growth of a malignant neoplasm bad science. On the other hand, the rest of the essay discusses good science, that is, science which has been proven to work. He discusses its "near-miraculous" quality. Perfusion of chemicals to preserve and prepare brain tissue is already textbook science, just not applied to whole brains. The case of Clive Wearing is one piece of an assortment of evidence that consciousness is a clever illusion (the philosopher of consciousness, Daniel Dennett, can say a lot here). Ultimately, cryonics is science that (by definition) has not been proved to work, but nonetheless serious science. Please don't deny that. Harvard neuroscientist Kenneth Hayworth explains this much better than I could, so I leave the floor to him: http://brainpreservation.org/documents/killed_by_bad_philosophy.pdf http://brainpreservation.org/documents/killed_by_bad_philoso... This issue is much too important to worry about what's distasteful.

andywood 15y ago

I knew he didn't have long, but this still feels so sudden. I got so much out of his way of framing things. I'm grateful that he wrote and spoke so much while he was here.

staunch 15y ago

Too short, but he won at life.

chalst 15y ago
62 years is OK for someone who burned the candle of his life at both ends the way he did.
- prodigal_erik 15y ago
  "... and found it gave a lovely light", in his words.

robbrown451 15y ago

He and his family are in my....well, in my sincere thoughts that I say in my head directed towards a nonspecific metaphorical anthropomorphic being.

thomasgerbe 15y ago

Moments of his life in pictures. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/christopher-hitchens-slideshow-201112#slide=1 http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/12/christoph...

TomOfTTB 15y ago

Hitchens was essentially a Marxist (by his own admission) who was also in favor of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the foreign policy it represented. So there was very little I agreed with him on. But I'm terribly upset about this and I'll tell you why. Because of his willingness to debate. I'd literally scan right wing talk radio schedules for his name because you just knew it would be a great show. In a world where so many people in our modern society hide in their little cliques I think a smart person who is willing to have their ideas challenged is the most valuable person of all. Losing a voice like that is a true tragedy. So, with all due respect, I hope he is wrong in his beliefs about the after life because if there is a heaven he's surely earned his place in it. Edit: On that note this is awesome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4JJqXISBiI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4JJqXISBiI (though skip the first 4 minutes of the host self aggrandizement)

ddw 15y ago
He's so incredibly succinct and persuasive in his points when it comes to religion and I always love to hear these debates. His memoir 'Hitch-22' is well worth the read, especially now (the opening in particular).
- sriram_sun 15y ago
  Here is Hitchens on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christopher-hitchens http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christophe... - just delightful.
  - Stormbringer 15y ago
    I don't mean to sound petty or ungrateful for the link, but is there some other source of this, one that is visible outside of the US? Even better would be if it didn't require Flash.
    - spindritf 15y ago
      This one is visible outside of the US. Though maybe not everywhere.

dreamux 15y ago

He was my favourite thinker and orator, I'm very sad to see him go.

Jach 15y ago

"God is Not Great" is trending on Twitter right now... (Hilarious material too.) Too bad Hitchens missed it.

tdfx 15y ago
A fitting exit on his part. Got them riled up one last time. Update: #hitchslap seems to be doing well, also.

andyl 15y ago

He was a straight up debater who could discuss ideas on their merits, and seemed to make up his own mind on issues. Gone too soon.

zalew 15y ago

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitchens-dies-aged-62?CMP=twt_fd http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitc... Hitchens gave short shrift to the "insulting" suggestion that cancer might persuade him to change his position where reason had not, arguing that to ditch principles "held for a lifetime, in the hope of gaining favour at the last minute" would be a "hucksterish choice", and urging those who had taken it upon themselves to pray for him not to "trouble deaf heaven with your bootless cries".

twelvechairs 15y ago
The guardian 'obituary' is also quite informative (including a reasonably good amount of biography): http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitchens-obituary http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/16/christopher-hitc...

pessimist 15y ago

The first time I read Christopher Hitchens was his takedown of Mother Teresa - "The Missionary Position". It was emblematic of his writing - shocking, irreverent, but beautifully written and argued. The most intellectually honest pundit I have ever read - even when I disagreed with him. Sad to see him go.

RomanAClef 15y ago

Wow, right after America gave up the ghost in Iraq too. From http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/2011/11/oser-dire.html http://whoisioz.blogspot.com/2011/11/oser-dire.html: " Why does it also not delight me that the extent of the allegations against him, at least on some showings, is “unwanted advances”? It might be argued, by the cynical or the naive, that all “advances” begin that way. True, a period of a matter of months is specified, but don’t I seem to recall, in President Obama’s jaunty account of his courtship, that it took him a certain amount of time to “wear down” his intended target? I dare say that many of us could say the same, while reminiscing among friends, and still hope to avoid getting too many sidelong looks. But in the present circumstances there seems to be a danger of a straight-out politicization of the sexual harassment issue, with many people deciding it in advance on the simple basis of campaign calculations, or—to put it more crudely—of whose ox is being gored. This appears to represent a general coarsening by silence, and yet another crude element in a depressing campaign. " -Hitchens I have always suspected that Christopher Hitchens is really a child of Indianapolis or Topeka who spent a year in London while an undergraduate at the North Dakota State Technical and Agricultural Community College or some such and returned with an accent and a ubiquitous unopened umbrella so thoroughly does his Englishness come off as an affect. And, to crib from our friends across the pond, he comes off as a real tosser. "I dare say"? It's as if, sensing his own impending demise, he's angling to be played by Maggie Smith in the biopic. Any man willing to gratuitously fondle the mother tongue as Hitch does above is obviously going to be an apologist for molestation. If you're a liberal, then you'll find it particularly appalling that Hitch first made his conservative bones, you'll pardon the expression, not by cheering for the death of a million Iraqis, but by stroking feverishly over Monica and Kathleen Willey. This was evidence of Clinton's despicable character, whereas here we are in grave danger of "politicizing . . . the sexual harassment issue," as if chalking it up as an issue has not by fucking default cast it into the baleful form of politics.

JoachimSchipper 15y ago
This is in bad taste. Also, I have no idea what it's about, but does "Any man willing to gratuitously fondle the mother tongue as Hitch does above is obviously going to be an apologist for molestation" really constitute a valid argument?

chjj 15y ago

dammit. hitchens barely got his trousers off.

soitgoes 15y ago
Always made me smile when he finished off a debate with the "We've barely got our trousers off" line.
- bravura 15y ago
  Did he do this often? I was only aware of him using this turn of phrase when debating O'Reilly ("We barely got our trousers off, we should pursue this.") [youtube link taken down by Fox News, sorry]
  - soitgoes 15y ago
    Here's another time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3whAxMgdc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm3whAxMgdc. I'm pretty sure I've heard him use it a few times.

arjn 15y ago

Not unexpected, he's been ill for a while. I will miss his razor wit and intellect. The clarity of his thought, writing and speech was a breath of cool fresh air amidst the unfortunate smog that is modern media, especially television. Am currently reading Hitch-22, have already read "God is not Great" and would recommend it.

arepb 15y ago

A good landing page from VF is an excellent starter for those who are tiptoeing into Hitchens for the first time. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/christopher-hitchens

dmerfield 15y ago

My favourite Hitchens moment: http://youtube.com/watch?v=BP51NnoVErA http://youtube.com/watch?v=BP51NnoVErA

mturmon 15y ago

Such a sharp thinker, with unbelievable wit and depth of memory. You can get a sense of his political style from his fascination with the remark from Israeli peace activist Israel Shahak, "there are beginning to be some encouraging signs of polarization". Meaning that usually, well almost always, you have to choose sides. Draw the line between the sides yourself if necessary. It's Hitchens' writings that introduced me to the early, dry, humorous works of Evelyn Waugh (best known is "Scoop", but also Decline and Fall, and the Sword of Honour trilogy). Some of Hitchens' best writing was literary appreciation, not polemics.

mattyohe 15y ago

#GodIsNotGreat is trending worldwide. It's quite entertaining to see the live timeline of people freaking out: http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23GodIsNotGreat http://twitter.com/#!/search/realtime/%23GodIsNotGreat

obtu 15y ago
Seems like Twitter censored it from the trending spot; a pity.
- bravura 15y ago
  @johnwilander: #GodIsNotGreat pulled from trends because christians protest. But #ReasonsToBeatYourGirlfriend allowed. Stay classy @Twitter

veidr 15y ago

Hitchens was wrong about a lot in my view, but for many atheists he was an important figure. He eloquently made the case for our faith in empirical evidence and the scientific knowing of reality, and he didn't pussy out at the end. Knowing he was dying, and soon on his way into that void, still looked that motherfucker in the face, and stayed frosty. Wish he could have died from old age, though.

Hari_Seldon 15y ago
"empirical evidence and the scientific knowing of reality" Not sure what you mean by this, do you really believe that science validates a specific view on what constitutes reality?
- gnaritas 15y ago
  Science defines our best view of reality, period. And by best, I mean most accurate representation of objective reality.
  - veidr 15y ago
    Yes, this is exactly what I meant, thank you.

Vivtek 15y ago

I first learned of Christopher Hitchens in the run-up to Iraq, which he espoused. I chalked him up as a Bad Guy, and moved my limited attention span on down the pike. Only recently had I realized that he was a lot deeper than I'd given him credit for - and now he's dead. Life stinks.

Stormbringer 15y ago
Well, the Iraq war is interesting. The US sold a bunch of chemical/biological weapons to the Iraqis, and then years later used that as a pretext for war, being fairly sure that they would find them. Problem was, they weren't there any more, so the US looked stupid. What happened to those weapons of terror? Well, the Kurds can probably tell you. Suffice it to say that not everyone was a big fan of Saddam, and some people were legitimately happy to see the US overthrow Saddam. The main problems are this 1) bogus pretext for the war, lying to your own people 2) the means they used (bombing civilian infrastructure, cutting off power supplies to hospitals etc) And on that note, the US has this insane idea that if they interfere with other countries, mess with their economics etc then it makes people upset with $local_dictator... but it doesn't work like that, it just makes them and everyone else in the world pissed off at the US. 3) What they did afterwards. Sticking around and trying to make the Iraqis pay for it all by looting their resources. Not good. Afghanistan is even worse. The soviet union stuck their dick in the meat-grinder that is Afghanistan and were there for 20 years and it destroyed them and bankrupted them economically. How is the US going to fare any differently? Oh, you spent a trillion dollars on this war and your economy is in the hole for a trillion dollars. What a mysterious coincidence!

valgaze 15y ago

Astroid: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/Asteroid-Named-for-Christopher-Hitchens http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2011/12/Asteroid-Name... "An astroid...has been named after Vanity Fair contributing editor Christopher Hitchens. The asteroid orbits Mars, Jupiter, and Earth. It’s an ironic but fitting honor for an iconoclast who has spent much of his life shaking his fist at the heavens and the deities they may or may not host."

numair 15y ago

Okay, really. With all due respect to the passing of a fellow human, this story has absolutely nothing to do with hackers, with software development, with the startup business... I know people are going to reply to this with some reference to "but it is of intellectual interest!" -- but really, there are lots of different places on the Internet (thousands, maybe millions!) to discuss lots of different things. If you have begun to look at Hacker News as your sole source of news and information in the world -- of which such stories and their upvoting may be a sign -- you really need to diversify your life. It will be better for your health, and for your work. It would be great if we could allow this place remain a silo of thought on technical and business matters, and seek out other places and people for other sorts of information and discourse.

antics 15y ago
There is some truth to what you say, but who is going to be the arbiter of what is "hacker" content and what is not? You? And where does it end? Is a blog post detailing how to deal with stock options really hacker content, for example? HN is still a pretty small community, and regardless of whether or not it upvotes strict tech articles or not I think is besides the point. I come here because it's like being in the center of an intellectual panopticon, and to a large extent, I trust people here to show me things that will make me grow. I'm not interested in _everything_ posted here, but it is also not important to me (and I imagine a lot of other people as well) that all the articles here are strictly super technical.
- numair 15y ago
  There's a variety of places from where we can get our news. For example, I'm super-concerned about the end result of the Euro crisis (which directly affects global businesses, such as the online businesses many of us are building, far more than is ever discussed here) -- but rather than looking for economic insight here, or posting articles about the matter here for discussion, I turn to the Financial Times, and talk to my friends who work in finance. You have to find the best outlet for information and discussions regarding the topic at hand; as it stands, Hacker News is an excellent place for discussion about technical topics, but if we continue to have more of this mainstream-type stuff because of a more general audience that chooses to use this as their version of CNN, we're going to quickly alienate more technical-minded people who come here to avoid general news topics. If you want this place to remain special, you have to keep it special.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

tdfx 15y ago

For anyone looking for a quick way to get a handle on who he was search YouTube for "hitchslap".

davesims 15y ago

As a person of long-held religious conviction I am deeply saddened to see this worthy adversary go. He had an uncanny ability to go straight for your mostly deeply held beliefs with the most trenchant rhetoric and yet somehow made you like him anyway. I think it's because with Hitchens, you knew he spoke from the integrity of his own convictions. He was nobody's man, on no one's bandwagon, carrying water for no political agenda other than his own desire to see the world become a better place. His libertarianism or Marxism was just a function of where his own intellect led him, and he never compromised for fashion or acceptance. That gave him gravitas, ethos. How else could you go after Mother Theresa and not get run out of...the World on a rail? Only Hitchens. He was often compared to Orwell and H.L. Mencken, and he was one of the few writers for whom the comparison was as a peer rather than a distant echo of a greater time. Who will pick up his mantle? Who has the intellect, wit or courage of their convictions that compares with Hitchens? At the moment I simply can't think of anyone.

ajkessler 15y ago
I don't think a finer thing could be said about a man. http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/a-hell-of-a-eulogy/ http://www.ajkesslerblog.com/a-hell-of-a-eulogy/
- davesims 15y ago
  Thanks AJ, I appreciate it.

Benares 15y ago

He's in a better place, now. http://explosm.net/comics/2645/ http://explosm.net/comics/2645/

Roritharr 15y ago
Nice observation!

soitgoes 15y ago

It would be nice if HN could put up the black bar at the top of the page today for Hitch.

bravura 15y ago

Christoper Hitchens. Rest in Peace. One of the most articulate people, always incisive, even when I disagreed with him. I saw Hitchens speak at the New York Public Library, as part of their Live! series. Everyone retired to the garden afterwards, to take drinks. I spoke with Hitchens briefly. He called Mother Theresa "a bitch". I criticized his diction and argued that bitch was the wrong epithet. I don't recall my exact argument, but he conceded my point. I was elated, given that I considered (and still consider) Hitchens one of the most eloquent orators of our generation. In deference to him and his passing, I have mulled my choice of language in this comment. I am still grateful that I had the chance to engage this great polemicist.

adriand 15y ago
That's actually an interesting anecdote, because it demonstrates a willingness to admit when he was wrong, something that is often uncommon among so-called "great thinkers" - especially when they're engaging with a member of the "ordinary public". (My apologies if you're actually quite extraordinary.)
- bravura 15y ago
  I think it's one of his most admirable qualities, namely that he will admit fault, change his position, and correct himself when he overspeaks. My apologies if you're actually quite extraordinary. None taken. [edit: A question I asked him at the NYPL, 55:30 in the video http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/god-not-great-debate-between-christopher-hitchens-and-al-sharpton http://www.nypl.org/audiovideo/god-not-great-debate-between-... Q: In the beginning of the talk you expressed antipathy towards deism in principle, predicated along this particular interpretation of God as a supreme dictator and judge. Is that correct? CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: That would be correct, yes. Q: Now, if I could play devil’s advocate for God for a moment. Could you appreciate a God who watches us and our actions eagerly and with great interest because he created a world where everything is permitted? CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS: Yes, I can picture it, but I’m not without horror. (laughter) ]

randdythea 15y ago

test

pflats 15y ago

Above all, I really respect him for his piece on waterboarding. For those of you who didn't see it/hear about it, he wanted to try to settle the debate on whether waterboarding is torture or not. So he let himself be waterboarded. VF Article (site's getting hit hard): http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens200808 http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/08/hitchens... Youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7u-Wk1aU-E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7u-Wk1aU-E The title of the article? "Believe Me, It's Torture".

markwherry 15y ago

Hitch asked us to think, to question, and to appreciate. There is surely no better embodiment of a hacker ethic than someone like Christopher Hitchens: a unique voice who challenged the world not to accept the status quo.

serverdude 15y ago

One of the foremost intellectuals - I disagreed with him on Iraq but scoured youtube to watch his debates - mostly against religious rabbis. There really was no one like him. "“That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence." - Christopher Hitchens

Nelson69 15y ago

I saw him on Morning Joe about 18 months ago. I like the idea of what they are trying to do with that show, I like that they have both sides on it, but it has more than enough grab ass (it's 2 hours too long every day..) Anyhow, they were getting ready to engage him in a serious conversation but it was a grab-ass session between segments, I can't remember the subject but they were goading folks to make some statement on something really absurd (it was sexist or Jersey Shore or something, I wish I could remember it) but Mika (the news reader lady) tried to get him to voice an opinion and he very eloquently said "pass" it was a bit flowery though and had just a hint of an insult back for even being asked to talk about it. I don't know if anyone had ever done that before, they clearly weren't prepared for it. He was there for something serious and he kept to it, regardless of views, much respect to the guy. In a pop-media bubble gum bullshit news and entertainment world he had a mission and kept to it. A tragic loss we need more of him and more like him.

martythemaniak 15y ago

There was a Munk Debate last year where Hitchens debated Tony Blair on whether religion was a force for good in the world. I highly recommend it: http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion http://www.munkdebates.com/debates/Religion Everyone knew Hitchens didn't have much time left, so it was great to see him doing what he does best against someone as high-profile as Blair.

Florin_Andrei 15y ago
And he beat Blair, who is no slouch either when it comes to debating. He was an amazing person. He could write and speak with such force, yet such complexity and refinement at the same time. I deeply admired him even when I disagreed with him completely. Farewell, Hitch.

zotz 15y ago

Not to be blunt, but I never understood why a drunken advocate of a murderous war gets such props no matter what his facility with words may have been.