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In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

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Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#51

Post by Stormbringer »

sriram_sun wrote: post #34
ddw wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

Here is Hitchens on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christophe... - just delightful.

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.

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#53

Post by logic »

numair wrote: post #41

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…

There are enough of us in this relatively small community of free-thinkers who were touched by this man's work that, for a few moments, we'd like to pause to remember him.

This has absolutely nothing to do with "intellectual interest": we're mourning, and it's a sign we're all basically human.

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#54

Post by twelvechairs »

zalew wrote: post #21

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 dea…

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

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#55

Post by nandemo »

hyperbovine wrote: post #46
numair wrote: post #41

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…

You post a story. It gets voted up. It gets voted down. The site is never out of step with its users' interests, because it can't be. So simple, and yet somebody is always there to complain about what should or should not be. Why?

I don't think stories can get voted down (at least for me no down-arrow is displayed).

In any case, I disagree with the "the people have spoken" argument. It boils down to "if you don't like it, then leave". It should be the other way round: if you want to discuss this, then use another forum.

HN has a certain purpose, even if it's not completely well-defined. It follows that there are stories that should be deemed off-topic, regardless of whether a large minority votes them up.

I'm not talking about the on-topic-ness of this particular story (though I'd say it's off-topic even though I am a fan of Hitchens), but trying to defend the notion that it's fine to complain about highly upvoted off-topic stories.

PS: a related comment of mine in a recent thread on Stackoverflow:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3357506

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#56

Post by konstruktor »

TomOfTTB wrote: post #16

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 s…

"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."

"all due respect" cannot change the fact that this is the most disrespectful thing you can write at the death of an atheist.

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#57

Post by spindritf »

Stormbringer wrote: post #51
sriram_sun wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here is Hitchens on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart - http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-june-8-2010/christophe... - just delightful.

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.

This one is visible outside of the US. Though maybe not everywhere.

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#58

Post by VMG »

philwelch wrote: post #40
robertk wrote: post #8

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

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.

He went in for cancer treatment, so he clearly wanted to avoid death, which is what the essay is about.

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#59

Post by SamReidHughes »

konstruktor wrote: post #56
TomOfTTB wrote: post #16

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 s…

"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." "all due respect" cannot change the fact that this is the most disrespectful thing you can write at the death of an atheist.

No it's not. Why wouldn't an atheist want an afterlife?

Re: In Memoriam: Christopher Hitchens, 1949–2011

#60

Post by jpulgarin »

SamReidHughes wrote: post #59
konstruktor wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"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." "all due respect" cannot change the fact that this is the most disrespectful thing you can write at the death of an atheist.

No it's not. Why wouldn't an atheist want an afterlife?

Christopher has stated multiple times that he finds the Christian idea of heaven unappealing.

Furthermore, if the Christian heaven does exist (which in turn implies that Christian doctrine is true), Christopher is most certainly in hell.

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