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Friday, December 16, 2011

RIP Christopher Hitchens

11:30 AM / General / 3 Comments

I'd known this was inevitable for some time, but all the same I was deeply saddened and somewhat shocked to wake up this morning to discover that Christopher Hitchens, author of GOD IS NOT GREAT: HOW RELIGION POISONS EVERYTHING, had died.

He was often referred to as a polemicist, but I think to call him that was to do him a disservice. He loved a good argument, no question, but he was never contrary just for the sake of contrariness. He robustly challenged orthodoxy and conformity, revealing the nonsense of religion through reasoned debate and logic, and the world is a poorer (and stupider) place without him. I admire and appreciate the likes of Richard Dawkins as much as the next atheist, but I think even he would agree that he lacks one particular component that made Hitchens so riotously entertaining to listen to: his skill at demolishing his opponents wittily and ruthlessly, popularly referred to as the Hitchslap.

In honour of Hitchens' demise, let's take a few minutes to watch this reel of his greatest hits:

3 Comments

 
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