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In Praise of Christopher Hitchens
---
A Paean for a Life Well Lived
By Alex Wilhelm
Cop
yright Alex Wilhelm, 2010Fair Use: This essay may be re
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oduc
e
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u
ti
on
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e
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i
d
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by the sharer, wherever it iswishe
d
t
o
be. This w
o
rk is f
o
r rea
d
i
n
g,
no
t f
o
r
p
r
o
fit.The a
u
th
o
r may be
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ta
c
te
d
by email atalexkaiserwilhelm@gmail.
co
m.
Co
ver art
c
reate
d
by Twitter.
co
m/
co
tk
u
First
pu
blishe
d
(
on
li
n
e, Ki
nd
le, iPa
d)
J
u
ly 2010Pers
on
ally
d
e
d
i
c
ate
d
with l
o
ve by the a
u
th
o
r t
o
Liza Wag
n
er, his g
odd
ess.
Introduction:
The
p
hrase has bee
n
re
p
eate
d
un
til it has l
o
st all mea
n
i
n
g ex
c
e
p
t t
o
the h
on
est i
n
telle
c
t
u
al: the
un
exami
n
e
d
life is
no
t w
o
rth livi
n
g. Th
u
s s
po
ke S
oc
rates bef
o
re the
c
ity that w
ou
l
d
d
e
c
i
d
e sh
o
rtly, a
nd
as all k
no
w t
oo
well, termi
n
ally,
on
the q
u
esti
on
o
f his life. His se
n
te
nc
e was
d
eath, b
u
t his w
o
r
d
s havegai
n
e
d
m
o
re life after his b
od
ily ex
p
irati
on
tha
n
he
cou
l
d
have
p
erha
p
s ever h
op
e
d
. S
oc
rates the tea
c
heris far m
o
re imm
o
rtal tha
n
n
early a
n
y h
u
ma
n
has ever bee
n
. He is
c
ertai
n
ly ahea
d
o
f the w
o
rl
d
s
d
ea
d
d
i
c
tat
o
rs wh
o
et
c
he
d
their mark i
n
t
o
st
on
e a
nd
gr
ound
i
n
f
u
tile rage agai
n
st the fragility
o
f life a
nd
sl
o
wrelease
o
f agi
n
g. It seems
p
lai
n
that s
o
me i
n
telle
c
t
u
al
po
wer tra
n
s
c
e
nd
s time. Th
u
s S
oc
rates lives
on
while the
d
i
c
tat
o
rs are l
o
st t
o
all ex
c
e
p
t the m
o
st er
ud
ite hist
o
ria
n
.Hit
c
he
n
s himself sai
d
s
o
methi
n
g t
o
a similar effe
c
t. Whe
n
con
fr
on
te
d
with the la
c
k
o
f
p
erha
p
s a str
on
ghist
o
ri
c
ity
o
f S
oc
rates i
n
a s
p
irite
d
d
ebate, a
nd
th
u
s with the
po
ssibility
o
f S
oc
rates
non
-existe
nc
e,
C
hrist
op
her sai
d
str
on
gly (a
nd
I
cond
e
n
se
)
I
do
no
t
c
are if he
n
ever live
d
, it is i
n
his i
d
eas that he wasstr
on
g. The ma
n
is the
con
veya
nc
e. I
nd
ee
d
.D
u
ri
n
g the week
o
f this essays writi
n
g
C
hrist
op
her Hit
c
he
n
s
d
iag
no
sis with
c
a
nc
er ha
d
j
u
st bee
n
ma
d
e
pu
bli
c
. His ill
n
ess is
o
f a seri
ou
s s
o
rt that has a te
nd
e
nc
y t
o
ig
no
re the eff
o
rts
o
f m
od
er
n
me
d
i
c
i
n
e. Iwa
n
t t
o
make it
p
lai
n
, this is
no
e
u
l
o
gy, right
no
w Hit
c
he
n
s is very m
uc
h alive. Alth
ou
gh his
p
e
n
is
c
alme
d
du
ri
n
g this thera
p
y there is little
dou
bt as t
o
the fa
c
t that whe
n
give
n
a
p
arti
c
le
o
f health the
po
lemi
c
ge
n
i
u
s will ret
u
r
n
. U
n
til the
n
, at this
d
iffi
cu
lt time, I w
ou
l
d
like t
o
take a sh
o
rt m
o
me
n
t a
nd
ext
o
la ma
n
w
o
rthy
o
f m
o
re
p
raise tha
n
he has re
c
eive
d
th
u
s far i
n
his life. That is the g
o
al
o
f this essay.It is a
c
hea
p
e
n
e
d
rewar
d
t
o
be give
n
f
u
ll re
co
g
n
iti
on
f
o
r the g
ood
life after its
n
at
u
ral
conc
l
u
si
on
o
f
d
eath. This is es
p
e
c
ially tr
u
e as there is
no
p
ers
on
al afterlife t
o
be e
n
j
o
ye
d;
on
ly i
d
eas a
nd
w
o
rks live
p
ast the grave
o
f their a
u
th
o
rs. While
C
hrist
op
her is alive we
n
ee
d
t
o
take a m
o
me
n
t t
o
ex
p
lai
n
why hehas
don
e well, a
nd
h
o
w we a
pp
re
c
iate his lifes w
o
rk
;
we are i
n
his
d
ebt, let
u
s w
o
rk t
o
abs
o
lve that
d
ebit.The
d
e
d
i
c
ati
on
o
f this essay is
o
f
cou
rse
c
hiefly t
o
C
hrist
op
her Hit
c
he
n
s, b
u
t that is t
oo
n
arr
o
w a mark.There is a
co
mm
un
ity ar
ound
the w
o
rl
d
wh
o
d
ebate a
nd
d
issemi
n
ate Mr. Hit
c
he
n
s w
o
rk as it
co
mes
ou
t,
con
trib
u
ti
n
g t
o
a
n
i
n
te
n
se a
d
lively
d
ial
o
g
u
e betwee
n
his
d
etra
c
t
o
rs a
nd
p
r
opon
e
n
ts that
n
ever
c
eases. While the starti
n
g s
p
ark is the ge
n
esis (a
nd
ge
n
i
u
s
)
o
f the
d
is
cu
ssi
on
, the fire
o
f the e
n
s
u
i
n
garg
u
me
n
t is s
o
methi
n
g t
o
be
p
raise
d
, eve
n
if s
o
metimes the
con
versati
on
c
a
n
be
co
me trite. Perha
p
s t
o
s
o
me it seems t
o
exist
on
ly f
o
r the sake
o
f arg
u
me
n
t. Taki
n
g all
o
f that as a give
n
, it is fair t
o
say thatthis tra
c
t is f
o
r m
o
re tha
n
j
u
st Hit
c
he
n
s, it is als
o
f
o
r his rea
d
ers, a
nd
his
oppon
e
n
ts. It is f
o
r every
on
ethe
n
, as t
o
la
c
k
op
i
n
i
on
on
Hit
c
he
n
s is t
o
be
unp
l
u
gge
d
.There has bee
n
, i
n
this
p
ast week, a
n
ew strai
n
o
f
d
is
cu
ssi
on
a
nd
pon
tifi
c
ati
on
that has
c
r
opp
e
d
up
i
n
the
co
mm
un
ity I me
n
ti
on
e
d
bef
o
re.
Co
mi
n
g fr
o
m the
u
s
u
al
c
e
n
ters
o
f religi
ou
s
d
itheri
n
g, a
c
all that
C
hrist
op
hers
c
a
nc
er is i
n
fa
c
t a gift fr
o
m g
od
t
o
con
vi
nc
e him
o
f his
co
mbi
n
e
d
imm
o
rtality a
nd
imm
o
rality, a
nd
th
u
s t
o
steer him t
o
C
alvary, has beg
un
t
o
ri
n
g. N
o
real i
n
telle
c
t
u
al w
ou
l
d
ever wishth
o
se
p
e
op
les wh
o
thi
n
k s
uc
h t
o
be q
u
iete
d
by f
o
r
c
e, b
u
t
on
a
p
ers
on
al level a
co
m
p
lai
n
t
c
a
n
be l
od
ge
d
:I have a
c
r
o
ss w
o
r
d
t
o
the
c
rass
C
hristia
n
s wh
o
have take
n
the sa
d
n
ews
o
f Hit
c
he
n
ss
c
a
nc
er t
o
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