I woke up this morning to the news that Christopher Hitchens has died. Though I've been following him on Google Alerts, the news surprised me, what with his recent contributions to Vanity Fair and interview with Richard Dawkins in the New Statesman. I was hoping we'd have him at least through the 2012 elections.
I once thought of writing a book about Hitchens' place in contemporary culture. It would've had the subtitle, "Why America Doesn't Know What to do With Christopher Hitchens." This is what was so great about him. In a rigidly partisan era where one's views on one subject nearly always predict one's stance on 10 others, Hitchens stood apart as a bold thinker who held his moral compass up to the difficult lessons of history, philosophy and politics. The half-baked professions of Newt Gingrich only underscore what we've lost; while Newt's geopolitical musings serve cynical, predetermined ends, Hitchens was playful, irreverent, occasionally upsetting, and deeply moral.
His video critique of the 10 Commandments captures him in his droll glory. You don't have to agree with everything he says to appreciate the humor and sharpness of his intellect—and the magnitude of what we have lost.
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