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The sift will not be the same without him.

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I knew it would happen but...this sucks.

Damn, the second I saw a second video of him getting promoted I knew what was up.
RIP you great mind of our times you

He will be so very sorely missed. I truly can not think of or name another man in our times that nearly matches his caliber.

He had the courage and boldness of the guys who run VICE magazine. He had the intellect to humble the best of our day. He had the connections to personally question, speak with or interview very nearly any important figure of our day.

In every one of those individual categories he already stood at the top of our generation, but it was the combination of all of those brought together and used to tackle the largest conflicts and debates facing our generation that made him without equal.

It is a very sad day and our world is considerably diminished by his loss.

One of his more iconic debates can still be viewed right here on the sift:

http://videosift.com/video/George-Galloway-debates-Christopher-Hitchens-on-Iraq-part-1

I salute you, Christopher.

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Double-Promoting this video back to the front page; last published Friday, December 16th, 2011 8:20am PST - doublepromote requested by gwiz665.

I don't drink but I am strongly considering finding some black label to toast in his honour.

I'm going to miss him.

Another man in our times that matches his caliber?

Let me list a few that pop into my head:

Noam Chomsky
Carl Sagan
George Carlin
Stephen Jay Gould
Richard Dawkins
David Suzuki
Douglas Adams
Bill Hicks.

Granted, they all differ, but they certainly hold up in my eyes.

The same thing could have been said when Sagan passed, but others moved in to fill his shoes.

It's all good, we just have to keep an eye out for the new person who is waiting to have a go.

>> ^bcglorf:

He will be so very sorely missed. I truly can not think of or name another man in our times that nearly matches his caliber.
....................
It is a very sad day and our world is considerably diminished by his loss.

I will miss this stalwart supporter of Atheism and common sense analysis of situations. I didn't agree with him for everything, but more often than not, I would sit and listen to what he had to say. You have to earn the right to be a jerk and give the whole world the middle finger, I think he earned it.

not that hard to find. you just need to find the right glass.>> ^Jinx:

I don't drink but I am strongly considering finding some black label to toast in his honour.
I'm going to miss him.

The insufferable piece of crap will be dearly missed.

Goodbye Chris. Some of his most profound moments for me came when he actually screwed up and was wrong! It would often lead to other talks and dialogs between the people he had erred against and himself and in some occasions Christopher would merely present them and allow the other person to put the matter straight. He could be friends with these people and often was.

It showed me that he had within himself the ability to be very humble and that to him the truth WAS paramount! For that and much more I will remember him always.

He had it within himself to be the best of us all.

Emile Hirsch, of all people, wrote what I thought was a damn good article on HuffPo called "Farewell, Christopher Hitchens".

>> ^kceaton1:

Goodbye Chris. Some of his most profound moments for me came when he actually screwed up and was wrong! It would often lead to other talks and dialogs between the people he had erred against and himself and in some occasions Christopher would merely present them and allow the other person to put the matter straight. He could be friends with these people and often was.
It showed me that he had within himself the ability to be very humble and that to him the truth WAS paramount! For that and much more I will remember him always.
He had it within himself to be the best of us all.


His about face on waterboarding after being waterboarded was the point that I started paying attention to him.

>> ^obscenesimian:

Another man in our times that matches his caliber?
Let me list a few that pop into my head:
Noam Chomsky
Carl Sagan
George Carlin
Stephen Jay Gould
Richard Dawkins
David Suzuki
Douglas Adams
Bill Hicks.
Granted, they all differ, but they certainly hold up in my eyes.
The same thing could have been said when Sagan passed, but others moved in to fill his shoes.
It's all good, we just have to keep an eye out for the new person who is waiting to have a go.
>> ^bcglorf:
He will be so very sorely missed. I truly can not think of or name another man in our times that nearly matches his caliber.
....................
It is a very sad day and our world is considerably diminished by his loss.



I think you slightly diminish Hitch's name including Carlin, Hicks and Suzuki. Even Chomsky only bares inclusion for his great heights in the past.

I get your point, but you may want to read up on Hitchen's some more. He stood apart from almost everyone on your list by willingly putting himself in harms way to put his beliefs and understanding to the test, and in many cases surviving the ordeal to come back and declare that what he learned had changed his mind.

>> ^spoco2:

>> ^kceaton1:
Goodbye Chris. Some of his most profound moments for me came when he actually screwed up and was wrong! It would often lead to other talks and dialogs between the people he had erred against and himself and in some occasions Christopher would merely present them and allow the other person to put the matter straight. He could be friends with these people and often was.
It showed me that he had within himself the ability to be very humble and that to him the truth WAS paramount! For that and much more I will remember him always.
He had it within himself to be the best of us all.

His about face on waterboarding after being waterboarded was the point that I started paying attention to him.


His about face on Saddam era Iraq stood out more in my mind. After being a champion of the anti-war movement in the first Gulf war he went and spent time with the Iraqi Kurds. He came back vehement in his conviction that America's worst crime in Iraq was in essence listening to him in the first place and not pushing into Baghdad and removing Saddam the first time.

Yes yes. Kurds, hmmmmmm let me think

oh yes they were abused by turks throughout history but most notably during the the 1890's 1920's 1930's and on up to the 70's and 80's. Ironically, Kurds also were one of the primary agents used by the Turks in the deportations and massacre Armenians before and during world war 1.

Those Kurds.

Who were also abused by Saddam. All part of a long chain of ethnic cleansing, genocide and nationalist violence caused in a large part by religion and creed as well as tribal identity throughout the balkans and the ottoman empire and what became the palestinian mandate.

Which Hitchens thought we should wade into because science and atheism will put right through warfare that which religion and warfare could not put right.

Hitchens got so much so wrong so many times, but he sounded soooo good doing it.

>> ^bcglorf:

>> ^spoco2:
>> ^kceaton1:
Goodbye Chris. Some of his most profound moments for me came when he actually screwed up and was wrong! It would often lead to other talks and dialogs between the people he had erred against and himself and in some occasions Christopher would merely present them and allow the other person to put the matter straight. He could be friends with these people and often was.
It showed me that he had within himself the ability to be very humble and that to him the truth WAS paramount! For that and much more I will remember him always.
He had it within himself to be the best of us all.

His about face on waterboarding after being waterboarded was the point that I started paying attention to him.

His about face on Saddam era Iraq stood out more in my mind. After being a champion of the anti-war movement in the first Gulf war he went and spent time with the Iraqi Kurds. He came back vehement in his conviction that America's worst crime in Iraq was in essence listening to him in the first place and not pushing into Baghdad and removing Saddam the first time.

Just Because I disagree with you does not mean that I need to read up on Christopher Hitchens. I thought he was remarkably wrong very often. But at least he did have the decency to admit when he hadn't thought a position through well enough.

>> ^bcglorf:

>> ^
>>


I think you slightly diminish Hitch's name including Carlin, Hicks and Suzuki. Even Chomsky only bares inclusion for his great heights in the past.
I get your point, but you may want to read up on Hitchen's some more. He stood apart from almost everyone on your list by willingly putting himself in harms way to put his beliefs and understanding to the test, and in many cases surviving the ordeal to come back and declare that what he learned had changed his mind.

>> ^obscenesimian:

Yes yes. Kurds, hmmmmmm let me think
oh yes they were abused by turks throughout history but most notably during the the 1890's 1920's 1930's and on up to the 70's and 80's. Ironically, Kurds also were one of the primary agents used by the Turks in the deportations and massacre Armenians before and during world war 1.
Those Kurds.
Who were also abused by Saddam. All part of a long chain of ethnic cleansing, genocide and nationalist violence caused in a large part by religion and creed as well as tribal identity throughout the balkans and the ottoman empire and what became the palestinian mandate.
Which Hitchens thought we should wade into because science and atheism will put right through warfare that which religion and warfare could not put right.
Hitchens got so much so wrong so many times, but he sounded soooo good doing it.
>> ^bcglorf:
>> ^spoco2:
>> ^kceaton1:
Goodbye Chris. Some of his most profound moments for me came when he actually screwed up and was wrong! It would often lead to other talks and dialogs between the people he had erred against and himself and in some occasions Christopher would merely present them and allow the other person to put the matter straight. He could be friends with these people and often was.
It showed me that he had within himself the ability to be very humble and that to him the truth WAS paramount! For that and much more I will remember him always.
He had it within himself to be the best of us all.

His about face on waterboarding after being waterboarded was the point that I started paying attention to him.

His about face on Saddam era Iraq stood out more in my mind. After being a champion of the anti-war movement in the first Gulf war he went and spent time with the Iraqi Kurds. He came back vehement in his conviction that America's worst crime in Iraq was in essence listening to him in the first place and not pushing into Baghdad and removing Saddam the first time.



Or more simply, Saddam was so horrific and brutal a monster that Iraqis and the region as a whole are better off for his removal.

>> ^obscenesimian:

Just Because I disagree with you does not mean that I need to read up on Christopher Hitchens. I thought he was remarkably wrong very often. But at least he did have the decency to admit when he hadn't thought a position through well enough.
>> ^bcglorf:
>> ^
>>


I think you slightly diminish Hitch's name including Carlin, Hicks and Suzuki. Even Chomsky only bares inclusion for his great heights in the past.
I get your point, but you may want to read up on Hitchen's some more. He stood apart from almost everyone on your list by willingly putting himself in harms way to put his beliefs and understanding to the test, and in many cases surviving the ordeal to come back and declare that what he learned had changed his mind.



Oh be serious.

Carlin and Hicks were good and everything, but how much time did they spend in Cbua, Iraq, North Korea and Iran? How much of their lives did they dedicate to studying global conflicts and loudly debating their merits and demerits? Did they ever accomplish anything akin to "The trials of Henry Kissinger"?

You seriously devalue everything Hitchens was by likening him to a pair of very intelligent and insightful comedians. Their material was after all based on at best reading about the things Hitchens was off witnessing first hand. More over there can be no doubt that Hitchens own reading on any subject of import also badly dwarfed that of Carlin and Hicks put together.

Appeal to authority, ad hominem.

>> ^obscenesimian:

Appeal to authority, ad hominem.


So, pointing out Hitchens extensive amount of time spent researching, traveling, speaking with key players, and studying major events in our world is an 'appeal to authority?

And ad hominem is comparing the experience and knowledge levels of a lifetime academic and polemicist to comedians and pointing out an inequality?

Kudos to you on knowing the two concepts are important logical fallacies, the next step is to study their meanings and applications so you can recognize them correctly.

No, stating that someones opinion on a matter that is based on reading or some other form of research is inferior to an opinion that is based upon visiting the locale is indeed an appeal to authority . Argumemnts hold up based on logic and fact, not on who is making the argument.



As far as the AD hominem, I am indeed serious, and I have not made any personal attacks, I would appreciate a modicum of respect in that regard.

If you are not aware of where you are guilty of employing these fallacies, don't attempt to deflect by attempting to point out some misuse on my part.

Your Opinion of Hitchens differs from mine. Hitchens vs carlin or hicks is debatable, but I would opine that his career pales in comparison to Sagan and yes even Suzuki. You see, neither of them had to go back and apologize repeatedly for being wrong, insultingly wrong, or drunk and wrong.

No, stating that someones opinion on a matter that is based on reading or some other form of research is inferior to an opinion that is based upon visiting the locale is indeed an appeal to authority . Argumemnts hold up based on logic and fact, not on who is making the argument.

And reading an article versus reading an article AND visiting the location is clearly an example where the later has more facts at their disposal, and has facts that are additionally more thoroughly verified and reliable.

As far as the AD hominem, I am indeed serious, and I have not made any personal attacks

I never said you had, I merely pointed out that I had not made any personal attacks either. I believe the closest I came was saying "You seriously devalue everything Hitchens was by likening him to..." which amounted to saying you were incorrect on a point, not any manner of personal insult or attack.

You see, neither of them had to go back and apologize repeatedly for being wrong, insultingly wrong, or drunk and wrong.

Which is admittedly a point on which we truly do have more of a difference of opinion. I count it one of Hitchens' strengths that he was willing to admit when he had been wrong, no matter how vehement or adamant he had previously been. He was constantly putting his own views to the test, and when they failed the test he changed his mind and admitted he had been wrong. I count that a much better mark than those people who count themselves or are counted by others as never having been wrong or needed to back down.

This is just getting ponderous.