Thursday, December 15, 2011

Christopher Hitchens

We've lost a thinker, one not afraid to say the truth as he saw it. Literate, reasoned, passionate about his causes, never one to shirk from a fight or to back down when principle was at stake. Restless, curious, erudite. His knowledge sometimes seemed encyclopedic, and some of his articles were on topics I knew nothing about--but his writing made it clear, and why it mattered.

I suspect he would have been alternately infuriating and inspiring to have working in the office next to you.

He's been taken from us too soon.

2 comments:

Jimi Hendricks said...

Agreed completely. He was amongst such radical thinkers as Ambrose Bierce and Kurt Vonnegut. While I found contention with quite a few of his points, I never faulted him for the research, logic, or passion behind any of them. A true genius.

KCProgramr said...

Actually, I'd fault his logic occasionally, and his unconditional, enthusiastic defense of the Iraq war long after it'd been revealed as a mess was inexcusable. Among all the hagiography, there's a post at Slate, and Greenwald over at Salon has a column, discussing his failures. When he was right, he was dead right, but when he was wrong, he was disastrously--and just as stubbornly--wrong.

I've also been watching the videos of some of his appearances...and while he was a solid debater, he could also be condescending, vulgar, and a boor. Yes, there were times when he was undoubtedly the smartest person in the TV studio...and he certainly made sure everyone knew it. Hitch's diatribes were a tonic best taken in small doses.