One day back in 2005, I was sitting in a bar in the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington Kentucky when someone sat down at the bar next to me and ordered a Johnny Walker Black. I turned to find myself sitting next to Christopher Hitchens. I had just read The Trials of Henry Kissinger, and even though he had just finished a lecture at the University of Kentucky on the book, he was still kind enough to engage me on the topic. I got to sit with him for a little less than an hour till our flight. We were on the same flight to Atlanta, but separated and I didn't want to pester him. It was one of the coolest conversations I've ever had. At the time I was a Labor organizer for the Teamsters and he commended my chosen profession and thanked me for it.
I'm only 23, and I became familiar with Christopher Hitchens around 2022, and the impact he's had on me is so great that it's almost inexplicable. I've bought all his books and read almost all of them more than once, and I've learned more from him alone than I have from reading other intellectuals for years. Christopher was really in a league of his own. It's hurt to know I'll never be able to meet this great man, and I really hope you appreciate how lucky you've been, not only to meet him, but talk to him personally.
@@kpl775 you probably have seen them but if not; please check his appearances on the Hay Festival for several years and his talk in La Jolla for his book on Thomas Jefferson - Author of America.
Few people can hold a candle to the oratory skills of Christopher Hitchens. His encyclopaedic knowledge, wit, linguistic majesty and critical thinking are an awe to behold. I can never tire of listening to him speak, and much like Carl Sagan, I will forever mourn that we can never hear more.
Often makes me try to guess at the number of people that have possessed incredible wit and the ability to speak so concisely, who have come and gone entirely without even one word committed to paper, or stone, or memory. How many brilliant candles burning radiantly from both ends have gone out, leaving us neither smoke or ash as evidence that they were once there casting light?
damn son! ya, hopefully maybe he just didn't feel bothered. but i fear you may be right. Respond amigo! let us know you're still kickin' secularism and sanity around the desert! all peace always amigos
"There is still in this world...a furious appetite for ideas, knowledge, for thought and for the questioning of authority." May there always be Frys and Dawkins and Hitchens in our midst to lead the way.
@@fredarcher7264 Catholics are great at pointing out the errors of my ways, and the ways of everyone else. They've made that their stock in trade for 2000 years, manufacturing guilt for profit. They're less great at pointing that lens inward and acknowledging the paucity of their dogma, the MASSIVE damage their religion has done to the world and the feebleness of their apologies. I find committed Catholics in this day and age utterly ludicrous. How can you possibly still believe in and practice your backward ideas when there exists so much evidence as to why those ideas are ignorant and socially harmful? It baffles me. Don't preach to me about Catholics - your church is one of the worst of the lot. And it's Jennifer. I'm nobody's Jenny.
@@fredarcher7264 Standard fare from a believer in fairy tales. Hypocrisy, spite, vengefulness and stupidity - some of the building blocks of Catholicism highlighted once again by a small minded minion.
I'm most sad that I've only recently stumbled upon his brilliance. I'm only 20, but I wish I had known who he was when he was alive so that maybe, as a 14-15 year old, I would have been able to have my life changed much sooner and maybe even have met him at some point. I may have no right to miss him as I didn't know of him when he lived, but I truly do have a feeling of sadness and pity for the world that he is no longer with us.
".....why don't you accept this wonderful offer, why wouldn't you like to meet Shakespeare..... the only reason i want to meet Shakespeare or might even want to, is because i can meet him any time because he's immortal in the works he has left behind...." -CH, from one of his best closings. Hitchens is indeed immortal in his works.
i think you are very lucky still, i followed him for more then 10 years but i wished i would have known him when i was 20, i guess i lost 15 years compared to you
So nice to see people do something like this for someone _before_ they died, instead of just delivering a eulogy as per the norm. We should do this more often for our loved ones, especially in those circumstances when we know they have little time left yet would still be able to appreciate it.
@ Jazzkeyboardist1 Dude, what's your problem? I get that you disagree with Hitch, but repeating the name Crissy in EVERY sentence makes you look like a kid who is throwing a temper tantrum. You completely undermine your own credibility.
"A sumptously exquisite use of language" - Stephen Fry, one of the few people I would trust to accurately describe Hitch's command of the English language. Perfect.
Imagine finding Christopher Hitchens about 3 years ago, bringing through all of the content you could ever find of him, and then seeing is abrupt down word spiral that is cancer. It was heartbreaking, but still, several years after his death, you can find his immortal intellect being distributed, without ads in most cases, freely on the internet. Long Live!
Agreed. I've known of Hitch for a lot longer than 3 years but still only discovered him *after* he had passed. I hadn't a clue for a long time that he had passed as well. Felt so sickened when I found out. I so wish I had discovered him while still alive and that I had been able to attend some event he spoke at.
@Jazzkeyboardist1 It's rather amusing seeing you commenting on almost every single video and ecery single comment about Christopher, not Chrissy. Do you not have something better to do?
@Jazzkeyboardist1 Okay well I am sorry to say this, but you do truly seem deranged, and to put it mildly, not quite right in the head. The fact that you can make so many incorrect statements in so few sentences is truly extraordinary. I know consider this conversation over.
Jacob Paulson Hi Jacob, don’t worry about Jazzy anyone who uses a moniker rather than their actual name is a complete troll, of course he or she has the right to criticise but if you criticise someone without any evidence or facts it shows that he/she is envious of that person’s intelligence. A recent example would be the attacks on Jordan Peterson.
Anyone who inspires me to think and question my beliefs is my friend. Even though I never met him or agreed with everything he said, I must thank him. I know that he'll never read this, but its important to me to write it.
I imagine Christopher writing in his appartment, with books all around. Taking the time to choose every word carefully, in the hopes that his work would change us, change me. Whoever's reading. He made it, his work is a success and I am just one example of this. I feel incredibly humbled and lucky. What a man.
43 years old and I have only just discovered Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins well done RUclips finding their ideas very interesting as I already agree with much of what they are saying and realizing how deeply ignorant I still am on many things. Such a shame Christopher Hitchens died what a great mind lost to us all.
@Daniel Chen rather patronising and heading towards being rude. I'm not good with punctuation. That comes from my poor education. I don't know or mean to suggest that is the situation with this gentleman but if someone said that to me and I was still "hung up" about my lack of education I'd find it very dismissive and unkind. I believe the sentiment was completely clear and understandable and any poor punctuation didn't detract from that.
@Jazzkeyboardist1 and yet again you don't have the ability to "read between the lines" of what I was saying and yet again you try to use your flawed thought processes to belittle me and for whatever silly reasons you believe you have to try to belittle Hitchens. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO INSULT ME WITH. I KNOW WHO I AM. YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF MY AGE. YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF MY LEVEL OF EDUCATION. YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT ANYTHING Now answer the question I put to you. You claim to help support "gay" rights. How do you think the "gay" people you claim to support would feel if they saw the way you speak about Hitchens and the two Tory ministers? Do you think that's the way to speak about "homosexuals" "bisexuals"
@@mmcfarlane001 First of all i have seen them alot Mocking up onto religions, I belong to monotheism type of religion, and The reason God exist are several reasons a couple of them are the existence of Universe , now we do not see Universe at planet and we must concentrate on small things such , as stones, soil, water, Mountains rocks, we yet have not seen Science discovering or creating even a copy of these existing components or an example nearly to them, so these things with a great diversity cannot just exist from nowhere , Some one has created it and when Humans cannot create that for example" Science" means there was something. This was an instant sequence of answer to Stephen Another example is the Human Being ourselves,if Science is Truth and God isnt(God Forbids) so then how come Science yet have Not discvovered to Create a Human being, Im not talking about saving them by creating machines and hospital of birth But to create them , Create nerves, Create Blood, Create cells in blood, create an heart or even Brain or any bones. As Fry and Dawkins claims Humans were plants whichwere evoluted by Time and become Animals and later by evolution become Humans. If that is So Why not Those animals still not converting to Humans , Just put an Plant or Animal into Observation and wait for them to evolute into Human , Why it has stopped has Evolution lost its battery? or Memery?. And they deny Human As Adam the First Man and Eve first Women technically your parents too as you all are his decendants ,Adam and eve which give birth to a Human So why there are not any signs of Animals in shape still in them not by characterstics because i beleive most humans are animals that butcher an kill for jealousy. So this is one of the Reason i consider them Idiots :))
Let’s face it, the British tradition of sending away their little boys at the tender age of eight fosters the formation of good old boys clubs as they mature, no “girls” allowed. You can be sure their marathon dining table discourses were not considered appropriate for feminine ears.
Yes. I adore him. He did write an absurd essay stating there are no funny comedians but that is the only thing I disgreed with him about. I must say the Iraq war was a mistake.❤
That such eloquent, intelligent, and caring people should have such praise for a man speaks volumes for the integrity and decency of that mans actions. Hitchins was probably one of the most important intellects of of our time, and it is humanity's great loss that he's no longer with us, spouting reason and sense.
I was thinking that today. Between the alt-right and the regressive left controlling discourse, we need people like Hitch to break them down into the cretins they are.
When I first embraced my atheism, I gravitated to people like Matt Dillhunty and Sam Harris. I tried listening to Hitchens but he spoke so fast and made references to concepts to which I was ignorant so I found him to be a tough listen. As the years passed and my knowledge of religious history and epistemology broadened, I was finally able to truly appreciate the genius of Christopher Hitchens. His sharp tongue was softened by his charm and wit. His knowledge only surpassed by his passion. He is truly an intellectual giant, gone far too soon
Christopher Hitchens’ resonated with my own beliefs, when I finally happened upon his work I found myself feeling as of I’d found true home. I will and always will miss CH’s work.
I went into the video knowing it was in memory of Christopher’s life, but still found myself supremely disappointed that I didn’t see him on stage and not hearing his smooth, alluring voice. Thank you for everything you did Mr. Hitchens!
Only a few month ago I came across this wonderful high primate Christopher Hitchens. What this world needs most is people to "Dare to be yourself", he did just that. I love you Christopher for what you gave to us.
Even 7 years on I'm still discovering new videos and insights on my favorite intellectual. Im so grateful for his voracious output in both writing and interviews. He is so content dense, i can return any time and find something new, or just to return to his greatest hits and be reminded of what biting intelligence looks like and it's power to evolve the conversation. I'm both saddened and delighted that there will never be someone quite like him. Rest in peace, Hitch.
@@ΚωσταςΨυχιδης it was just a humorous idea, I see no reason to think either exist. If you're right and he's in hell (don't know why he would be though) then I'm 100% sure he'll appreciate the irony for all eternity.
@K C When we die we just die. We stop to exist as concious beings and become just biological matter to feed those who would be born after us, including plants and animals and later even other humans (in the same way that we today eat plants and animals who fed on the flesh of our ancesters).
@K C its a pretty messed up system if I have to live with pedophiles and terrorists just because I don't believe in higher being that has presented no evidence of his own existence. And I don't need Jesus to take on my disgrace. I can take responsibility for my actions.
It appears that this event took place within the last month of Hitches life. How great that this was before his death. We lost one of the greatest minds I have ever witnessed...focused, witty, unflappable when under pressure...just an incredible man. We are so much poorer without him.
What, the invisible world has credibility? Substance? It only serves the hustlers who prey on the rubes. Courts don't recognize the existence of the supernatural world. Hustlers are always looking for rich rubes. Spokane had most of it's Jehovah's Witnesses ripped of by religious confidence men, around 15 years ago. The greasy slimeball people in these religious videos, are without a doubt a perfect example of supernatural salesmen, who find rubes and get their souls. And their cash. Never forget, hustlers NEED cash. For hookers. The sleaziest slimiest creatures that God put of this little green earth. Folks, there is a tourist agency that gets you on tour buses and pisses on dead preachers graves. But only the slimy ones that got caught for a crime. It's called, "The Urinating on Criminal Preacher's Graves Tour." Find it online. Party Hearty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Of all the famous people of whom I've ever been aware, Hitch is certainly the one I miss the most. The world is a much lesser place because of his absence!
It hurts me to think that a man who was such an exquisite writer about so many controversial subjects and interviews is no longer here to educate the younger generation on the theory and ideas that Christopher articulated so well with his extreme command over the king's english. And one of my many life regrets is that I'll never get to meet the man, or shake his hand and tell him just how much he has influenced my mind and educated me further than any teachings I could find within a school curriculum or in any text from other individual writers and columnists. Never again will we have the privilege of witnessing such a man's outlook on the world like Christopher had. A great man gone, but left behind a lifetime of work with not a dull moment in between.
@@jeanpull1 No it isn't. From what I understand the term is not used to indicate which monarch is in tenure at the time. Rather the term which is an RP has been used by writers interchangeably. I however prefer the term Kings English, which mind you found a lot of syntax errors in my own stuff now that I read it. Regardless, I prefer the term Kings English because of the Fowler brothers 1906 published book on the topic of English grammar. A great reference and shout out. That said, Queens or Kings, can both be used and there is no correct term, however, Kings English is the traditional and often most used more poetic wording.
@@surgicalglitch3265 Fair enough, call it what you want. I wasn't trying to start an argument. All I was saying is that in England, we all call it "The Queen's" now. When someone says "The King's" it's a throwback to WWI&II / Colonial times. It's acceptable but tends to be more of a deliberate stylistic choice. PS That book has served you well, nice Oxford comma!
Such a brilliant, erudite man with an astounding grasp of history. To live in the same time as Hitch and to hear him speak was truly an honour. We are so much poorer with his loss.
That thought just "hit" me last week. It was much like the instant of complete awareness that one (not this 'one' so far) achieves in Vipassana Meditation. There was the thought of Hitchens and my kind of sharing this journey with him, and then for an instant everything made sense. It wasn't long though before I heard Donald Trump on TV, and all was chaos again.
Christopher hitchens, richard Dawkins, Stephen fry, Sam harris, Dan dennet, Julia Sweeney, Lawrence Krause - you keep us out of the dark and show us the better half of our natures and help us confront the parts uncomfortable and difficult to contemplate with a sober and lucid mind mind. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart ...thank you all.
So many quotes I'm STEALING from this vid. Love this talk between some of the most intelligent and charismatic people of our time, and may Christopher Hitchens live on forever.
He was a completely unique human being. I didn't always agree with him but I loved how he never bowed down to the consensus and always followed his own course on matters. His eloquence, erudition and knowledge infused every word he spoke. He was the most entertaining and insightful orators of his generation and I will forever miss him. The world lost a beautiful soul and he will never be replaced. Who would want to even try?
I never knew the man and only started watching the debate videos on youtube a few months ago. It is easy to get to know Christopher Hitchens from these videos and I join in with many people who have great respect for him. I am going to buy some (maybe all ) of his books along with some of Richard Dawkins Dan Dennett and Sam Harris books but I look forward most of all to reading Mr Hitchens.
Everything you said there applies to me too, although I'm a little further ahead in working through those great books. I'd advise adding in Lawrence Krauss (A Universe From Nothing) to the list too though.
I'll learned about Christopher only a few months after he died. But I learned about him the same way, debating videos and some q & a. A wonderful English gentlemen that man was, and i will borrow his phrases and character till the day i die.
One of the few great voices this country has produced in this century. His mere presence and razor sharp intellect is sorely sorely missed. In Christopher Mother Earth lost a great human being. Thanks for the celebration.
I wish I had gotten to know about you while you were alive. I just want to thank you for your bravery, savagery, wit, and desire to emancipate all of us from the tyrannies that plague our governments and our minds. Can't thank you enough.
So sad to note that Christopher only lived for 3 weeks after than this broadcast. But the best thing is he was able to watch it and glean how much he meant to so many. So much better than a eulogy. I miss him terribly and no mind that I am aware of has filled the void he left almost 10 years ago.
One legend remembered (still alive at the time), another legend as curator, and another that recalls his life so eloquently (on another post). Hitch is truly missed. Thank god (pardon the pun) for Dawkins. And Fry is doing quite well at showing the world Catholic churches crimes. But without Hitch, there is a void. I am so so pleased Dawkins has taken over some of CH's factual life after his death.
7 месяцев назад+2
Wonderfully done, Stephen! Thank you.
7 лет назад+28
We should celebrate his mother who was intent to give him a solid upper-class education, whatever the price.
7 лет назад+2
slip of the keyboard : intent on giving...........
Listenning to these wonderful free thinkers,I find difficult to understand the craven support for the Nasty ideology peddled by the Exclusive European Settler Immigrant State, allegedly Exclusive Jews. Thankfully these erudite free thinkers,intellects are no fans of the nasty State.
As someone who was raised brainwashed into christianity, at 32 y/o, having had 2 heart failures that both left me clinically dead for over an hour, that cemented my belief that heaven & hell are manmade delusions. Being that Ive been disabled since childhood, never able to attend college or have the freedom of a vehicle, I have no real friends, and my whole family range from calling themselves catholic but still think Trump is God's problem to take care of for us, to my grandma who has always been an amish-like strict baptist whose husband blasts FOX news every day, otherwise she does not care what is going on in the world, and that side of my family is disgustingly homophobic, racist, classist, second amendment obsessed, and not a single crack in their walls of mythology with which to shove logic in. I can only DREAM of being able to hold an intelligent, adult conversation with amazingly smart people like these... 💔
Hello from the UK. I hope you are well. I am impressed that you have the intellectual integrity and curiosity to hold your own in an apparent sea of bigotry and ignorance, I am assuming that you have access to the BBC World service in order to counter the nonsense of Fox?
3 individuals that make me immensely proud to be British. All countries are capable of intelligent and incredible individuals but no country has the authority in an accent quite like us.
It's a nice accent, but in a way as we are English, it isn't an accent and just maybe that gives us an extra reassurance in the sculpting of our words.
Christopher gave me so much pleasure in everything he said with his beautiful voice, his humour, his intellect, logic, his opinions, and his eyes which I loved. What nobody mentions is that he was actually very sexy too. RIP Christopher
+Secretsofaddiction I think you can be whoever you are. We are humans above all, male or female, or whatever (not disrespectfully), we can love each other. Why not? And thanks for the RUclips. Going to watch it later, have to have lunch now. 13.00hrs here now. Love H
It must have been a great pleasure to have known Hitch in real life.. his friends were so lucky .. indeed we who are his fans should also count ourselves extremely fortunate to have come to know his thoughts , words, and wit
@@colonelbf He's in a very good place now in his personal life and I'm glad for him. As my Grandma used to say , "if you're happy I'm delighted ". Fry is always a delight.
Chrisropher Hitchens is my personal saviour from religious ignorance. The videos on youtube have been so informative and helpful. Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins are also very informative and great men, but my hero Hitch forever, you very missed dear sir😢
I love how all there incredibly smart people know each other and call each other friends. I would loved to have sat in with a lot of these guys as they conversed
Really? There's some celebrity worship right there. The woke Holly wood is a worry. Fry talks of an app for picking up fellow...Enjoyed hell's angel and others but should be focusing on assange n snowden etc. Who controls the past...
Had not seen this until now ...........brilliant & fitting discussion of the Hitch well led by Stephen Fry ,brilliant guests who all appreciated Hitch for ALL he was ...I have many of the books already as a steadfast atheist they are essential reading but Hitch wrote extremely well on many topics and was a literary & vocal genius RIP
A national treasure summarising the life of a national treasure. I'm so glad hitch got to see this. I wonder how Penn felt about Hitchens' opinions of the Clintons.
Christopher inhabited this earth with profound exsistance. He said what he meant and meant what he said. When I'm asked of anyone no longer here would I seek the chance to set and talk with, Hitchens would is my answer.
Christopher hitchins never got the knighthood he deserves but I hope in his last moments he knew that he changed so many lives and that his name will be forever remember
I remember Lawrence Krauss’ tribute cutting straight to the bone ; “Christopher was a beacon of knowledge and light , in a world that constantly threatens to extinguish both…. “
Hitchens was amazing. I sadly wasn’t aware of him while he was alive, but he has changed my life. For the better. I miss him greatly. He wouldn’t like me saying this, but he’s my hero
And, lastly, you can tell the quality of a man by the quality, and variety, of his friends and admirers. Fuck, I miss the man. Almost makes me wish for an afterlife so I may have the smallest of chances of meeting him. But he would kick me in the balls for thinking such a thought :)
The ironic thing is that it's people like Hitchens that make you truly WISH there was an afterlife. I didn't discover him until a week ago (I'd heard of him but never checked him out), and I now feel deeply affected and saddened. There was something about him that was very endearing. One of the very few humans I never knew personally that I actually grieve for when they die.
I don't think so, James. After all, you said, "...makes me wish for an afterlife...." You didn't say anything about actually believing in one. And, of course, there's that moment that will live with me for whatever time I have left, because it reveals a quality of the man that I had completely missed up until that point. This quote is taken from Ed Pilkington in New York@edpilkington: "At the end of the Gibney film(A short memorial film by Arthur Gibney), Hitchens - his head by now bald from chemotherapy-induced hair loss - is heard insisting that there is no after life. 'I will never change my mind on that. Never change my mind," he says. After a pause, he adds: " I do like surprises.'"
He did equally pour scorn on the wish of an afterlife too, if it was a religious one, for such a wish and the implications thereof - the wish to be a slave etc.
What a great gathering and even greater that Hitch could view it and understand how much he meant to so many. And so devastating also from this vantage point, watching Salman's contribution, who had assumed the worst times were behind him. So many are sending their love and 'willing' him toward recovery at this time.
I'm not an atheist and approached Hitchens' "God is Not Great" expecting to just be amused by Hitchens' wit, but it turned out to be the most comforting book I've ever read. No one called out BS more clearly & powerfully than Hitchens. I wish he were around to point out the BS promoted by the overrated Pope Francis, who -- despite the charm & smile -- is actually consistently horrible to gays & women.
Christopher Hitchens did for me in but a few moments what religion could not do for me my entire life......He prepared my mind to think freely and critically for the first time.....And for that I will always be indebted and I will always be grateful..........
The Collector wrong again...... We learn from what we could not know ourself or learn by ourself.......The reason why you don’t get it was explained by your last statement
The Collector for continuing this conversation with someone whos mindset is clearly that if an imperialist I will kindly bail out and say for the third time you were wrong again...... but at least you’re trying.....
The Collector i’m not sure why you seem to believe you have jurisdiction over me my opinions or the way that I would even choose to use my native language in order to specifically offend you but I suggest you try doing this........Get a life you will find there are many wonderful things out there beyond the superior niceness of yourself .....which clearly exhibits through the very presence of your narrative .....get a life I say eat more bacon smoke more cigarettes have more sex hell I survived heart surgery and believe it or not apart from the old cliche of everything being a gift it is still a living pleasure to put up with halfwits such as yourself......
After listening to Christopher Hitchens, and many others, I know why the education system completely avoids everything he "Teaches" and enlighten everyone to.
I'm not sure how but I failed to discover Christopher Hitchens until after his death, something for which I must apologise for. Despite this, and to prove that there is indeed life after death, well certainly in print and RUclips if nowhere else, I have since rectified my failings and "genned up" on who he was and what he stood for. One of the most well read, intelligent and greatest debator of all time.
I have only just come across Christopher and Richard, being fairly young, I'm so interested in them both, and use their factual evidence and lectures to better improve on my own life. Sorely missed.
Few people have left such an aching hole in the world as did Christopher Hitchins with his death. I never met the man, but having listened to him speak and read his books, I understand only the smallest corner of how desperately he is needed in the world and how much poorer we have become without his brilliance and deadly hitchslaps. What might he say about Donald Trump? How would he describe what America has become since falling under the reign of a leader who relishes the crass, the crude, and encourages the lowest of public behavior by his Fox News-besotted followers?
Hitchens is one of my favourite people of my time on this earth. Will probably spend the rest of my life rewatching and re reading everything hitch from time to time
It’s marvelous to hear you, some of my favorite speakers. We need more of you. I always tried to catch Buckley’s glib debates, and now I’ve been able to hear his son. Living in Connecticut gave me a slight feeling of connection to the Buckley’s. Stephen, which I could see your TV series again. And Prof Dawkins I look for what you and Hitch have said and written, and have his and your books.
He gave me so much peace that 2 brothers could be so different, yet respectful. In my case the older is the Peter however I'm a younger Christopher called Peter.
I’m a Christian. Hitchens’s cutting examinations of not only theology but history of Christianity was something g that helped to deepen my faith, and I will miss him. I will miss his wit, his intellect, and his ability to have a rational discussion with people on the other side of the argument. I also quite liked many of his forays into the political sphere to curb religion’s encroachment where it rightly doesn’t belong.
If Atheists are correct, Christians lose nothing. In fact, they will never even know they were wrong. Now, on the other hand....for short-sighted, illogical Atheists, their worst possible nightmare will have already begun. For....."Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" Hebrews 9:27-28 (ANIV) "28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out." Luke 13:27-28 (KJV)
+ZEN TANGO Oscar Wright Just remember that Hitch was the fulmination of a growing sentiment, and though finding a person with the sheerly supreme ability to further that sentiment may be rare, there are those who will grow into the mantle as an effect of his work while he was with us. I mean, what more powerful resource could a young thinker in today's world have than the many documented public engagements Christopher Hitchens appeared in? What better source of inspiration or reaffirmation can someone find than the words Christopher Hitchens shared? I can't find anything more eloquent, powerful and true; I'm glad he was able to spend the last decade being there for those watching today to follow as much as he was for those who were listening then.
This was excellent for all sorts of reasons. Stephen, as always, modestly does himself an injustice: he does these things incredibly well. If I am ever fortunate enough to come across him in person I would love to shake his hand.
I was always mesmerised by Hitch's use of the English language. I often had to look up words that he used. A very intelligent, learned and determined man. I wish he had lived a healthier lifestyle so that perhaps he could have lived another 10, 20 years. You will be missed sir.
![Would We Be Better Off Without Religion? - Christopher Hitchens [2007] ✝️ | Intelligence Squared](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/DIR7_X-ahy4/mqdefault.jpg)
One day back in 2005, I was sitting in a bar in the Bluegrass Airport in Lexington Kentucky when someone sat down at the bar next to me and ordered a Johnny Walker Black. I turned to find myself sitting next to Christopher Hitchens. I had just read The Trials of Henry Kissinger, and even though he had just finished a lecture at the University of Kentucky on the book, he was still kind enough to engage me on the topic. I got to sit with him for a little less than an hour till our flight. We were on the same flight to Atlanta, but separated and I didn't want to pester him. It was one of the coolest conversations I've ever had. At the time I was a Labor organizer for the Teamsters and he commended my chosen profession and thanked me for it.
I'm only 23, and I became familiar with Christopher Hitchens around 2022, and the impact he's had on me is so great that it's almost inexplicable. I've bought all his books and read almost all of them more than once, and I've learned more from him alone than I have from reading other intellectuals for years. Christopher was really in a league of his own.
It's hurt to know I'll never be able to meet this great man, and I really hope you appreciate how lucky you've been, not only to meet him, but talk to him personally.
@@kpl775 you probably have seen them but if not; please check his appearances on the Hay Festival for several years and his talk in La Jolla for his book on Thomas Jefferson - Author of America.
I hope you run into Peter ahitchens now!
Miles Mathis rips Hitchens's ass apart
@@JacksonJones-je9uk that's one opinion.
Few people can hold a candle to the oratory skills of Christopher Hitchens. His encyclopaedic knowledge, wit, linguistic majesty and critical thinking are an awe to behold. I can never tire of listening to him speak, and much like Carl Sagan, I will forever mourn that we can never hear more.
...encyclopaedic knowledge, wit, linguistic majesty and critical thinking... YES!
Stephen Fry can
Oratory wise Stephen is if not his equal, better imho. His catholic speech is nothing short of breathtaking . Not a single useless word .
Often makes me try to guess at the number of people that have possessed incredible wit and the ability to speak so concisely, who have come and gone entirely without even one word committed to paper, or stone, or memory. How many brilliant candles burning radiantly from both ends have gone out, leaving us neither smoke or ash as evidence that they were once there casting light?
@@mihaimoldo methinks if it not born of conversation with Hitchin
Two of the greatest things RUclips has enlightened me to is:
1. How to fix my backyard fence
2. Christopher Hitchens
the Omega Concern Now take a look at some other intellectuals that maybe don’t reinforce your own biases.
👍
I discovered Hitchens through RUclips when I was coming as age in Catholic school; he changed my views on life for good. A remarkable man
Same 👌🏼
@@Hugh_Morris More faith is needed to believe God didn't do it than to believe he did.
Christopher, Richard and Stephen... Such individuals are irreplaceable.. Huge love and respect from Baghdad
+Hussein Ali
So, you're a closet atheist?
Jack bassman
He hasn't replied so I guess he is outspoken.
damn son! ya, hopefully maybe he just didn't feel bothered. but i fear you may be right. Respond amigo! let us know you're still kickin' secularism and sanity around the desert! all peace always amigos
Yes gentlemen I'm a closet atheist, because otherwise I could get killed here.
Internet high-five for being alive! the humorous tone is to lighten the seriousness of a shitty situation
"There is still in this world...a furious appetite for ideas, knowledge, for thought and for the questioning of authority." May there always be Frys and Dawkins and Hitchens in our midst to lead the way.
Jennifer Morris May there always be Catholics to point out the error of your ways Jenny .The three pundits you site , share your intellectual vacuum.
@@fredarcher7264 Catholics are great at pointing out the errors of my ways, and the ways of everyone else. They've made that their stock in trade for 2000 years, manufacturing guilt for profit. They're less great at pointing that lens inward and acknowledging the paucity of their dogma, the MASSIVE damage their religion has done to the world and the feebleness of their apologies. I find committed Catholics in this day and age utterly ludicrous. How can you possibly still believe in and practice your backward ideas when there exists so much evidence as to why those ideas are ignorant and socially harmful? It baffles me. Don't preach to me about Catholics - your church is one of the worst of the lot.
And it's Jennifer. I'm nobody's Jenny.
@@fredarcher7264 Standard fare from a believer in fairy tales. Hypocrisy, spite, vengefulness and stupidity - some of the building blocks of Catholicism highlighted once again by a small minded minion.
@@fredarcher7264
Does a belief in an ancient invisible, sadistic psychopathic sky fairy make you intelligent then FA? 🤣
@@tinaa9231 Jesus loves you Tina A , does the A stand for arse hole ?
Hitchens' works have changed a lot of lives, mine is one of them. He's sorely missed. Love, from Bombay.
I'm most sad that I've only recently stumbled upon his brilliance. I'm only 20, but I wish I had known who he was when he was alive so that maybe, as a 14-15 year old, I would have been able to have my life changed much sooner and maybe even have met him at some point.
I may have no right to miss him as I didn't know of him when he lived, but I truly do have a feeling of sadness and pity for the world that he is no longer with us.
".....why don't you accept this wonderful offer, why wouldn't you like to meet Shakespeare..... the only reason i want to meet Shakespeare or might even want to, is because i can meet him any time because he's immortal in the works he has left behind...." -CH, from one of his best closings.
Hitchens is indeed immortal in his works.
i think you are very lucky still, i followed him for more then 10 years but i wished i would have known him when i was 20, i guess i lost 15 years compared to you
Man that's one way to look at it. All about perspective.
Gullible idiot.
So nice to see people do something like this for someone _before_ they died, instead of just delivering a eulogy as per the norm. We should do this more often for our loved ones, especially in those circumstances when we know they have little time left yet would still be able to appreciate it.
my thought exactly! So heartwarming to know he saw and heard every word. So much more comfort than last rites I imagine ;)
Agreed.
If anyone deserved such a send off it was Hitch.
@Jazzkeyboardist1 Chrissy? Was that an accidental or intentional typo?
@ Jazzkeyboardist1 Dude, what's your problem? I get that you disagree with Hitch, but repeating the name Crissy in EVERY sentence makes you look like a kid who is throwing a temper tantrum. You completely undermine your own credibility.
"A sumptously exquisite use of language" - Stephen Fry, one of the few people I would trust to accurately describe Hitch's command of the English language. Perfect.
Imagine finding Christopher Hitchens about 3 years ago, bringing through all of the content you could ever find of him, and then seeing is abrupt down word spiral that is cancer. It was heartbreaking, but still, several years after his death, you can find his immortal intellect being distributed, without ads in most cases, freely on the internet. Long Live!
Agreed. I've known of Hitch for a lot longer than 3 years but still only discovered him *after* he had passed. I hadn't a clue for a long time that he had passed as well. Felt so sickened when I found out. I so wish I had discovered him while still alive and that I had been able to attend some event he spoke at.
Yeah, I discovered him two years after his death. He lives on in our memories.
And very unfortunate... me, a dumb truck driver from Saskatchewan had found out about him 20 some years ago 😊
8 years ago and we're all still mourning. Miss Hitch so much.
Why?
@Jazzkeyboardist1 It's rather amusing seeing you commenting on almost every single video and ecery single comment about Christopher, not Chrissy. Do you not have something better to do?
@Jazzkeyboardist1 There are so many flaws in that comment, not sure where to begin. Let me ask you a simple question : Are you religious?
@Jazzkeyboardist1 Okay well I am sorry to say this, but you do truly seem deranged, and to put it mildly, not quite right in the head. The fact that you can make so many incorrect statements in so few sentences is truly extraordinary. I know consider this conversation over.
Jacob Paulson Hi Jacob, don’t worry about Jazzy anyone who uses a moniker rather than their actual name is a complete troll, of course he or she has the right to criticise but if you criticise someone without any evidence or facts it shows that he/she is envious of that person’s intelligence. A recent example would be the attacks on Jordan Peterson.
Anyone who inspires me to think and question my beliefs is my friend. Even though I never met him or agreed with everything he said, I must thank him. I know that he'll never read this, but its important to me to write it.
Ditto.
.....tit
ggh
ff@20
Well said, my friend. I feel just the same way, even though he's no longer with us.
I imagine Christopher writing in his appartment, with books all around. Taking the time to choose every word carefully, in the hopes that his work would change us, change me. Whoever's reading. He made it, his work is a success and I am just one example of this. I feel incredibly humbled and lucky. What a man.
:)
43 years old and I have only just discovered Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins well done RUclips finding their ideas very interesting as I already agree with much of what they are saying and realizing how deeply ignorant I still am on many things. Such a shame Christopher Hitchens died what a great mind lost to us all.
@Daniel Chen rather patronising and heading towards being rude.
I'm not good with punctuation. That comes from my poor education.
I don't know or mean to suggest that is the situation with this gentleman but if someone said that to me and I was still "hung up" about my lack of education I'd find it very dismissive and unkind.
I believe the sentiment was completely clear and understandable and any poor punctuation didn't detract from that.
@Jazzkeyboardist1 and yet again you don't have the ability to "read between the lines" of what I was saying and yet again you try to use your flawed thought processes to belittle me and for whatever silly reasons you believe you have to try to belittle Hitchens.
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO INSULT ME WITH. I KNOW WHO I AM.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF MY AGE.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF MY LEVEL OF EDUCATION.
YOU HAVE NO IDEA ABOUT ANYTHING
Now answer the question I put to you.
You claim to help support "gay" rights.
How do you think the "gay" people you claim to support would feel if they saw the way you speak about Hitchens and the two Tory ministers?
Do you think that's the way to speak about "homosexuals" "bisexuals"
@Daniel Chen "sediments"? Instant karma.
I miss him more than any person I never met.
he was Irrational ..
@@srbscientist6663 Ah. So by your own admission, he 'was' an idiot, whereas you 'are' and remain one.
@@mmcfarlane001 I cannot be because i said the truth.
@@srbscientist6663 So provide some evidence? (Spoiler alert: that's how discourse works).
@@mmcfarlane001
First of all i have seen them alot Mocking up onto religions, I belong to monotheism type of religion, and The reason God exist are several reasons a couple of them are the existence of Universe , now we do not see Universe at planet and we must concentrate on small things such , as stones, soil, water, Mountains rocks, we yet have not seen Science discovering or creating even a copy of these existing components or an example nearly to them, so these things with a great diversity cannot just exist from nowhere , Some one has created it and when Humans cannot create that for example" Science" means there was something. This was an instant sequence of answer to Stephen
Another example is the Human Being ourselves,if Science is Truth and God isnt(God Forbids) so then how come Science yet have Not discvovered to Create a Human being, Im not talking about saving them by creating machines and hospital of birth But to create them , Create nerves, Create Blood, Create cells in blood, create an heart or even Brain or any bones. As Fry and Dawkins claims Humans were plants whichwere evoluted by Time and become Animals and later by evolution become Humans. If that is So Why not Those animals still not converting to Humans , Just put an Plant or Animal into Observation and wait for them to evolute into Human , Why it has stopped has Evolution lost its battery? or Memery?.
And they deny Human As Adam the First Man and Eve first Women technically your parents too as you all are his decendants ,Adam and eve which give birth to a Human So why there are not any signs of Animals in shape still in them not by characterstics because i beleive most humans are animals that butcher an kill for jealousy.
So this is one of the Reason i consider them Idiots :))
What a sin that Kissinger is alive and Hitch is gone.
Try Thinking For a change, if there is any evidence of no god than that is it
@@thedad7828 good call
Only the good die young!
@@KillgoreTrout43 He was 62.
@@Jay-oy5zs Well he looked a lot younger, easily ten years, what a mighty fine man.
Terribly sad no women were found anywhere near who would or could speak about this remarkably eloquent and thoughtful person.
Let’s face it, the British tradition of sending away their little boys at the tender age of eight fosters the formation of good old boys clubs as they mature, no “girls” allowed.
You can be sure their marathon dining table discourses were not considered appropriate for feminine ears.
Yes. I adore him. He did write an absurd essay stating there are no funny comedians but that is the only thing I disgreed with him about. I must say the Iraq war was a mistake.❤
That such eloquent, intelligent, and caring people should have such praise for a man speaks volumes for the integrity and decency of that mans actions. Hitchins was probably one of the most important intellects of of our time, and it is humanity's great loss that he's no longer with us, spouting reason and sense.
well said
alltapedup d
panterasux22 m
alltapedup
And humour
And wonderful that he was able to watch this tribute from home.
What I would give to hear Christopher's commentary on the current social and political climate.
I was thinking that today. Between the alt-right and the regressive left controlling discourse, we need people like Hitch to break them down into the cretins they are.
We ourselves need to be a part of this change as well. Well-meaning people can be corrected.
Godo i would't give a single hair to hear anymore from that delusional man
Your the deluded one you muppet
He clearly said, repeatedly, before he died to keep the Islamists out.
“...with a sumptuously exquisite use of language.....” how beautifully put.
If ever anyone was more needed in our current times Christopher Hitchens is now.
I completely agree. I would also add Gore Vidal. There voices are much required and needed.
When I first embraced my atheism, I gravitated to people like Matt Dillhunty and Sam Harris. I tried listening to Hitchens but he spoke so fast and made references to concepts to which I was ignorant so I found him to be a tough listen. As the years passed and my knowledge of religious history and epistemology broadened, I was finally able to truly appreciate the genius of Christopher Hitchens. His sharp tongue was softened by his charm and wit. His knowledge only surpassed by his passion. He is truly an intellectual giant, gone far too soon
Oh? So you think particles to professors is how the world came to be? All with the handy dandy magic wand of TIME, eh?
Pathetic.
He so loved words, and has inspired me to love them also.
Interesting...I find Sam Harris to be very obtuse compared to Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens’ resonated with my own beliefs, when I finally happened upon his work I found myself feeling as of I’d found true home.
I will and always will miss CH’s work.
A fitting and enjoyable tribute to a talented, knowledgeable, and genuine chap. The world is certainly a poorer place without Hitch.
I went into the video knowing it was in memory of Christopher’s life, but still found myself supremely disappointed that I didn’t see him on stage and not hearing his smooth, alluring voice. Thank you for everything you did Mr. Hitchens!
I am very thankful for RUclips for the same reason
Only a few month ago I came across this wonderful high primate Christopher Hitchens. What this world needs most is people to "Dare to be yourself", he did just that. I love you Christopher for what you gave to us.
Even 7 years on I'm still discovering new videos and insights on my favorite intellectual. Im so grateful for his voracious output in both writing and interviews. He is so content dense, i can return any time and find something new, or just to return to his greatest hits and be reminded of what biting intelligence looks like and it's power to evolve the conversation. I'm both saddened and delighted that there will never be someone quite like him.
Rest in peace, Hitch.
Absolutely.
What makes me smile is wondering what's going on if there is actually a heaven and he's in it haha
@@zeitakulobusta If there is a heaven there is a hell also.what if he is in hell then?
@@ΚωσταςΨυχιδης it was just a humorous idea, I see no reason to think either exist. If you're right and he's in hell (don't know why he would be though) then I'm 100% sure he'll appreciate the irony for all eternity.
Lovely to see Dawkins smiling and relaxed for once. With his people.
@K C If 'good' is defined by your God's morals, then maybe I don't want to be good.
"Go to Heaven for the climate. Hell for the company." Mark Twain.
@K C When we die we just die. We stop to exist as concious beings and become just biological matter to feed those who would be born after us, including plants and animals and later even other humans (in the same way that we today eat plants and animals who fed on the flesh of our ancesters).
@K C its a pretty messed up system if I have to live with pedophiles and terrorists just because I don't believe in higher being that has presented no evidence of his own existence. And I don't need Jesus to take on my disgrace. I can take responsibility for my actions.
@@AlexandraTasha have you got a link for the evidence for that? I’m fascinated.
@@loganharris2166 pedophiles? Lovers of feet?
It appears that this event took place within the last month of Hitches life. How great that this was before his death. We lost one of the greatest minds I have ever witnessed...focused, witty, unflappable when under pressure...just an incredible man. We are so much poorer without him.
What, the invisible world has credibility? Substance? It only serves the hustlers who prey on the rubes. Courts don't recognize the existence of the supernatural world. Hustlers are always looking for rich rubes. Spokane had most of it's Jehovah's Witnesses ripped of by religious confidence men, around 15 years ago. The greasy slimeball people in these religious videos, are without a doubt a perfect example of supernatural salesmen, who find rubes and get their souls. And their cash. Never forget, hustlers NEED cash. For hookers. The sleaziest slimiest creatures that God put of this little green earth. Folks, there is a tourist agency that gets you on tour buses and pisses on dead preachers graves. But only the slimy ones that got caught for a crime. It's called, "The Urinating on Criminal Preacher's Graves Tour." Find it online. Party Hearty!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great mind, but sadly wrong
@@ndorphin2564 You cannot argue with the dead... well you are welcome to try ... but don't expect a personal response.
@@ndorphin2564wrong about what…
I just discovered Christopher existence today .I appreciate your teaching and will forever be changed thank you
Of all the famous people of whom I've ever been aware, Hitch is certainly the one I miss the most. The world is a much lesser place because of his absence!
Christopher has paved the way for free will and rational skepticism ,and his extraordinary argumentative ability is admirable .
I miss him a lot .
What an honor you have given to one of the greatest men who lived in my lifetime. Thanks!
It hurts me to think that a man who was such an exquisite writer about so many controversial subjects and interviews is no longer here to educate the younger generation on the theory and ideas that Christopher articulated so well with his extreme command over the king's english. And one of my many life regrets is that I'll never get to meet the man, or shake his hand and tell him just how much he has influenced my mind and educated me further than any teachings I could find within a school curriculum or in any text from other individual writers and columnists. Never again will we have the privilege of witnessing such a man's outlook on the world like Christopher had. A great man gone, but left behind a lifetime of work with not a dull moment in between.
It's called the Queen's English nowadays.
@@jeanpull1 No it isn't. From what I understand the term is not used to indicate which monarch is in tenure at the time. Rather the term which is an RP has been used by writers interchangeably. I however prefer the term Kings English, which mind you found a lot of syntax errors in my own stuff now that I read it. Regardless, I prefer the term Kings English because of the Fowler brothers 1906 published book on the topic of English grammar. A great reference and shout out. That said, Queens or Kings, can both be used and there is no correct term, however, Kings English is the traditional and often most used more poetic wording.
@@surgicalglitch3265 Fair enough, call it what you want. I wasn't trying to start an argument. All I was saying is that in England, we all call it "The Queen's" now. When someone says "The King's" it's a throwback to WWI&II / Colonial times. It's acceptable but tends to be more of a deliberate stylistic choice.
PS That book has served you well, nice Oxford comma!
Such a brilliant, erudite man with an astounding grasp of history. To live in the same time as Hitch and to hear him speak was truly an honour. We are so much poorer with his loss.
wow, we are so Lucky to have been blessed by being alive during these flashes of Brilliance!!!
That thought just "hit" me last week. It was much like the instant of complete awareness that one (not this 'one' so far) achieves in Vipassana Meditation. There was the thought of Hitchens and my kind of sharing this journey with him, and then for an instant everything made sense. It wasn't long though before I heard Donald Trump on TV, and all was chaos again.
Christopher hitchens, richard Dawkins, Stephen fry, Sam harris, Dan dennet, Julia Sweeney, Lawrence Krause - you keep us out of the dark and show us the better half of our natures and help us confront the parts uncomfortable and difficult to contemplate with a sober and lucid mind mind. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart ...thank you all.
So many quotes I'm STEALING from this vid. Love this talk between some of the most intelligent and charismatic people of our time, and may Christopher Hitchens live on forever.
What a wonderful group of friends Hitchens had.
Wonderful to Hear the Tales of Hitchens Life from Genuine Friends who Loved Him Dearly , He is Missed by All who knew Him I am sure .
He was a completely unique human being. I didn't always agree with him but I loved how he never bowed down to the consensus and always followed his own course on matters. His eloquence, erudition and knowledge infused every word he spoke. He was the most entertaining and insightful orators of his generation and I will forever miss him. The world lost a beautiful soul and he will never be replaced. Who would want to even try?
+Swinford Mctaggart Garvey Hear Hear!
He became a spokesman advocating for Bush to invade Iraq so why is he being spoken of with accolade.?
I never knew the man and only started watching the debate videos on youtube a few months ago. It is easy to get to know Christopher Hitchens from these videos and I join in with many people who have great respect for him. I am going to buy some (maybe all ) of his books along with some of Richard Dawkins Dan Dennett and Sam Harris books but I look forward most of all to reading Mr Hitchens.
Everything you said there applies to me too, although I'm a little further ahead in working through those great books. I'd advise adding in Lawrence Krauss (A Universe From Nothing) to the list too though.
I'll learned about Christopher only a few months after he died. But I learned about him the same way, debating videos and some q & a. A wonderful English gentlemen that man was, and i will borrow his phrases and character till the day i die.
bladewed As far as I'm concerned, Lawrence Krauss should be the leader the "Four Horseman" look up to.
Adam Powell Agreed. The man is a genius.
Read his books...too complex for me to understand :(
One of the few great voices this country has produced in this century. His mere presence and razor sharp intellect is sorely sorely missed. In Christopher Mother Earth lost a great human being. Thanks for the celebration.
Sadly the world is being diminished by the loss of another brilliant passionate critical mind - Vale Christopher Hitchens
I wish I had gotten to know about you while you were alive. I just want to thank you for your bravery, savagery, wit, and desire to emancipate all of us from the tyrannies that plague our governments and our minds. Can't thank you enough.
Christopher was a gift to us all ... preach hitch ...
So sad to note that Christopher only lived for 3 weeks after than this broadcast. But the best thing is he was able to watch it and glean how much he meant to so many. So much better than a eulogy. I miss him terribly and no mind that I am aware of has filled the void he left almost 10 years ago.
Dear Stephen; Both you and Christopher made me cry and laugh, and think... and cry some more. Thank you, both of you.
One legend remembered (still alive at the time), another legend as curator, and another that recalls his life so eloquently (on another post).
Hitch is truly missed. Thank god (pardon the pun) for Dawkins. And Fry is doing quite well at showing the world Catholic churches crimes. But without Hitch, there is a void. I am so so pleased Dawkins has taken over some of CH's factual life after his death.
Wonderfully done, Stephen! Thank you.
We should celebrate his mother who was intent to give him a solid upper-class education, whatever the price.
slip of the keyboard : intent on giving...........
Yes their Mothers 🌹
JPV JPV it is possible to edit your 1st comment, just click on the three little dots
Sometimes I despair. And then I see a video like this, and I can go on. Thank you.
I find myself going back to Hitchens from time to time to try to understand the mess in which we are living today.
Listenning to these wonderful free thinkers,I find difficult to understand the craven support for the Nasty ideology peddled by the Exclusive European Settler Immigrant State, allegedly Exclusive Jews. Thankfully these erudite free thinkers,intellects are no fans of the nasty State.
One of the greatest thinkers of the 1st through 21st centuries - Christoper Hitchens
As someone who was raised brainwashed into christianity, at 32 y/o, having had 2 heart failures that both left me clinically dead for over an hour, that cemented my belief that heaven & hell are manmade delusions. Being that Ive been disabled since childhood, never able to attend college or have the freedom of a vehicle, I have no real friends, and my whole family range from calling themselves catholic but still think Trump is God's problem to take care of for us, to my grandma who has always been an amish-like strict baptist whose husband blasts FOX news every day, otherwise she does not care what is going on in the world, and that side of my family is disgustingly homophobic, racist, classist, second amendment obsessed, and not a single crack in their walls of mythology with which to shove logic in.
I can only DREAM of being able to hold an intelligent, adult conversation with amazingly smart people like these... 💔
Hello from the UK. I hope you are well. I am impressed that you have the intellectual integrity and curiosity to hold your own in an apparent sea of bigotry and ignorance, I am assuming that you have access to the BBC World service in order to counter the nonsense of Fox?
Incredible story.
Thank you for offering your thoughts.... so valuable to anyone with compassion.
3 individuals that make me immensely proud to be British. All countries are capable of intelligent and incredible individuals but no country has the authority in an accent quite like us.
I'm American and I absolutely agree with you. You guys sure pump out the most intellectual and well spoken people of them all.
It's a nice accent, but in a way as we are English, it isn't an accent and just maybe that gives us an extra reassurance in the sculpting of our words.
U wot m8?
I'll fooking shank ya bruv.
Moregasm the Powerful Eyy wait a minute, ill sell me mum before i get a shanking. Cant we work this out?
Christopher gave me so much pleasure in everything he said with his beautiful voice, his humour, his intellect, logic, his opinions, and his eyes which I loved. What nobody mentions is that he was actually very sexy too. RIP Christopher
.
+Helga Danielsen ...I think, Helga, Christopher himself may have mentioned it once or twice! lol.
Did he? Actually one does know when one is sexy, that is true. So, I love him even more..
lol...me too...and Im a hetrosexual male!!
+Secretsofaddiction I think you can be whoever you are. We are humans above all, male or female, or whatever (not disrespectfully), we can love each other. Why not? And thanks for the RUclips. Going to watch it later, have to have lunch now. 13.00hrs here now. Love H
Still feel the world has lost a piece of it's heart, Mr Hitchens l lived in your time and for this l am grateful.
Hitchins along with Dawkins and Grayling etc have taught rational thinking and I thank them for that.
It must have been a great pleasure to have known Hitch in real life.. his friends were so lucky .. indeed we who are his fans should also count ourselves extremely fortunate to have come to know his thoughts , words, and wit
if he did watch this then I am glad he witnessed the admiration for him just weeks before he died, a great man, truly missed.
superb hosting from Mr.Fry
I know it's a very old comment, but isn't pretty much everything by Mr. Fry just superb? ;)
Still goin' strong
He looks like he just hanging on from antipsychotics and probably anxiolytics. I feel for the man.
@@colonelbf He's in a very good place now in his personal life and I'm glad for him. As my Grandma used to say , "if you're happy I'm delighted ". Fry is always a delight.
colonelbf.....you may well have a point there. Please look for my very recent comment I threw into this post albeit with a different twist!
Chrisropher Hitchens is my personal saviour from religious ignorance. The videos on youtube have been so informative and helpful. Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins are also very informative and great men, but my hero Hitch forever, you very missed dear sir😢
I'm a Filipino-Australian. I was deconverted by the singular force of Christopher Hitchens faith-shattering arguments.
Many of us were. I actually was reading essays by Salman Rushdie when I found Hitchens, and it changed my life.
I love how all there incredibly smart people know each other and call each other friends. I would loved to have sat in with a lot of these guys as they conversed
Really? There's some celebrity worship right there. The woke Holly wood is a worry. Fry talks of an app for picking up fellow...Enjoyed hell's angel and others but should be focusing on assange n snowden etc. Who controls the past...
@@andrewsmith4257lol #ReligionPoisonsEverything 😊
Had not seen this until now ...........brilliant & fitting discussion of the Hitch well led by Stephen Fry ,brilliant guests who all appreciated Hitch for ALL he was ...I have many of the books already as a steadfast atheist they are essential reading but Hitch wrote extremely well on many topics and was a literary & vocal genius RIP
A national treasure summarising the life of a national treasure. I'm so glad hitch got to see this. I wonder how Penn felt about Hitchens' opinions of the Clintons.
Superb orators, great personalities. This is one of the finest videos in RUclips.
"A true thing, badly expressed, is a lie." Never heard that before.
+melancholiac That phrase stuck with me too.
+Paul L And I am still wondering whether that phrase is itself true or a lie.
+melancholiac In a world where perception is fundamental, it's absolutely true.
melancholiac Hahaha I read this comment RIGHT BEFORE Fry said that.
melancholiac also, "Their is no bad weather, just bad wardrobe." Dress appropriately.
Christopher inhabited this earth with profound exsistance. He said what he meant and meant what he said. When I'm asked of anyone no longer here would I seek the chance to set and talk with, Hitchens would is my answer.
Christopher hitchins never got the knighthood he deserves but I hope in his
last moments he knew that he changed so many lives and that his name will be forever remember
I DOUBT THAT CHRISTOPER WOULD HAVE HAD ACCEPTED ONE!
Hitchens would not have accepted it.
@@vernonrobinson4504 even so then he would have still had recognised honor
he would not have accepted knighthood
Guess you don’t really know Hitch then.
As long as I have even one of his books, or can recall a single one of His quotes, Christopher lives on!.
Fond Memories ☺
I remember Lawrence Krauss’ tribute cutting straight to the bone ; “Christopher was a beacon of knowledge and light , in a world that constantly threatens to extinguish both…. “
Hitchens was amazing. I sadly wasn’t aware of him while he was alive, but he has changed my life. For the better. I miss him greatly. He wouldn’t like me saying this, but he’s my hero
And, lastly, you can tell the quality of a man by the quality, and variety, of his friends and admirers.
Fuck, I miss the man.
Almost makes me wish for an afterlife so I may have the smallest of chances of meeting him.
But he would kick me in the balls for thinking such a thought :)
The ironic thing is that it's people like Hitchens that make you truly WISH there was an afterlife. I didn't discover him until a week ago (I'd heard of him but never checked him out), and I now feel deeply affected and saddened. There was something about him that was very endearing. One of the very few humans I never knew personally that I actually grieve for when they die.
I don't think so, James. After all, you said, "...makes me wish for an afterlife...." You didn't say anything about actually believing in one. And, of course, there's that moment that will live with me for whatever time I have left, because it reveals a quality of the man that I had completely missed up until that point. This quote is taken from Ed Pilkington in New York@edpilkington:
"At the end of the Gibney film(A short memorial film by Arthur Gibney), Hitchens - his head by now bald from chemotherapy-induced hair loss - is heard insisting that there is no after life.
'I will never change my mind on that. Never change my mind," he says.
After a pause, he adds: " I do like surprises.'"
Doug Wild That is a wonderful.
I had never heard that Hitchens comment before and it, in itself, was a wonderful surprise.
Thanks for sharing.
He did equally pour scorn on the wish of an afterlife too, if it was a religious one, for such a wish and the implications thereof - the wish to be a slave etc.
I miss Hitchens and I adore Stephen. Love to both.
What a great gathering and even greater that Hitch could view it and understand how much he meant to so many. And so devastating also from this vantage point, watching Salman's contribution, who had assumed the worst times were behind him. So many are sending their love and 'willing' him toward recovery at this time.
I'm not an atheist and approached Hitchens' "God is Not Great" expecting to just be amused by Hitchens' wit, but it turned out to be the most comforting book I've ever read. No one called out BS more clearly & powerfully than Hitchens. I wish he were around to point out the BS promoted by the overrated Pope Francis, who -- despite the charm & smile -- is actually consistently horrible to gays & women.
Truly missed. One of our greatest. Einstein, Socrates, Hitch
Will never ever be another Christopher Hitchens 😥💯🇮🇪
Christopher Hitchens did for me in but a few moments what religion could not do for me my entire life......He prepared my mind to think freely and critically for the first time.....And for that I will always be indebted and I will always be grateful..........
The Collector wrong......I no longer need to try.......
The Collector wrong again...... We learn from what we could not know ourself or learn by ourself.......The reason why you don’t get it was explained by your last statement
The Collector for continuing this conversation with someone whos mindset is clearly that if an imperialist I will kindly bail out and say for the third time you were wrong again...... but at least you’re trying.....
The Collector i’m not sure why you seem to believe you have jurisdiction over me my opinions or the way that I would even choose to use my native language in order to specifically offend you but I suggest you try doing this........Get a life you will find there are many wonderful things out there beyond the superior niceness of yourself .....which clearly exhibits through the very presence of your narrative .....get a life I say eat more bacon smoke more cigarettes have more sex hell I survived heart surgery and believe it or not apart from the old cliche of everything being a gift it is still a living pleasure to put up with halfwits such as yourself......
After listening to Christopher Hitchens, and many others, I know why the education system completely avoids everything he "Teaches" and enlighten everyone to.
He was poison for all powerloving lying idiots
I was there..lovely event.
I'm not sure how but I failed to discover Christopher Hitchens until after his death, something for which I must apologise for. Despite this, and to prove that there is indeed life after death, well certainly in print and RUclips if nowhere else, I have since rectified my failings and "genned up" on who he was and what he stood for. One of the most well read, intelligent and greatest debator of all time.
I have only just come across Christopher and Richard, being fairly young, I'm so interested in them both, and use their factual evidence and lectures to better improve on my own life.
Sorely missed.
You have chosen your inspirations wisely, good luck James. 👍
He is referred to many time as "Christopher was" when he was still alive. Great tribute none the less. Sad to see him gone but never forgotten..
Wonderful man, followed him for years, sometimes against many but did not back down strength in belief.
Few people have left such an aching hole in the world as did Christopher Hitchins with his death. I never met the man, but having listened to him speak and read his books, I understand only the smallest corner of how desperately he is needed in the world and how much poorer we have become without his brilliance and deadly hitchslaps.
What might he say about Donald Trump? How would he describe what America has become since falling under the reign of a leader who relishes the crass, the crude, and encourages the lowest of public behavior by his Fox News-besotted followers?
Hitchens is one of my favourite people of my time on this earth. Will probably spend the rest of my life rewatching and re reading everything hitch from time to time
What an effortlessly kind and decent fellow Stephen Fry is.
He's a fancy-pants socialist, who doesn't have to live with the consequences of what he advocates for the rest of us.
"I'll pray for you.... ok, I'll think for you" 😃😄😁🤣😂 brilliant!
Yes, this is one of my favourite Hitchslaps... Inspired.... 💚🇮🇪
My favourite reply to ''I'll pray for you'' is, ''fine, i'll talk to my cat for you. expect the same results''.
It’s marvelous to hear you, some of my favorite speakers. We need more of you. I always tried to catch Buckley’s glib debates, and now I’ve been able to hear his son. Living in Connecticut gave me a slight feeling of connection to the Buckley’s. Stephen, which I could see your TV series again. And Prof Dawkins I look for what you and Hitch have said and written, and have his and your books.
The most extraordinary debater I've ever witnessed!
He gave me so much peace that 2 brothers could be so different, yet respectful. In my case the older is the Peter however I'm a younger Christopher called Peter.
I’m a Christian. Hitchens’s cutting examinations of not only theology but history of Christianity was something g that helped to deepen my faith, and I will miss him. I will miss his wit, his intellect, and his ability to have a rational discussion with people on the other side of the argument.
I also quite liked many of his forays into the political sphere to curb religion’s encroachment where it rightly doesn’t belong.
If Atheists are correct, Christians lose nothing.
In fact, they will never even know they were wrong.
Now, on the other hand....for short-sighted, illogical Atheists, their worst possible nightmare will have already begun.
For....."Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment"
Hebrews 9:27-28 (ANIV)
"28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out."
Luke 13:27-28 (KJV)
Two of our greatest intellects....
Incredibly stupid if you ask me.
Arsjaad Poese noone did
Inconvenient Consequences No one is asking you I can assure you.
Only two?
@@RealTalk-uk3yw I haven't seen anyone ask you anything
Unique....Brilliant....Powerful....Engaging...Stimulating....Infuriating....Awe Inspiring....HOW LONG WILL IT BE WHEN ONE AS SUCH WILL BE BORN AGAIN ?
ZEN TANGO Oscar Wright what
Aidan Lassing Everything comes to the patient.
+ZEN TANGO Oscar Wright not long but how long will it be till someone like him is recognised
+ZEN TANGO Oscar Wright Just remember that Hitch was the fulmination of a growing sentiment, and though finding a person with the sheerly supreme ability to further that sentiment may be rare, there are those who will grow into the mantle as an effect of his work while he was with us. I mean, what more powerful resource could a young thinker in today's world have than the many documented public engagements Christopher Hitchens appeared in? What better source of inspiration or reaffirmation can someone find than the words Christopher Hitchens shared? I can't find anything more eloquent, powerful and true; I'm glad he was able to spend the last decade being there for those watching today to follow as much as he was for those who were listening then.
You are a remarkable man Mr Fry!
This was excellent for all sorts of reasons. Stephen, as always, modestly does himself an injustice: he does these things incredibly well. If I am ever fortunate enough to come across him in person I would love to shake his hand.
Sorry that I only discovered the bloke in 2021 at age 63. Bought his books and grateful for many hours of content on RUclips.
I was always mesmerised by Hitch's use of the English language. I often had to look up words that he used. A very intelligent, learned and determined man. I wish he had lived a healthier lifestyle so that perhaps he could have lived another 10, 20 years. You will be missed sir.
As a life long adult atheist, having thrown off indoctrination on my own, these thinkers are ' friends' in my mind ...