Richard Dawkins’ Introduction Honoring Christopher Hitchens

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Hemant Mehta

Over the weekend, at the Texas Freethought Convention/Atheist Alliance of America convention, Richard Dawkins presented the award named after him to Christopher Hitchens. More on Hitch’s acceptance is here.

For now, we have the text of Dawkins’ introduction (and a bit of video):

He is a debater, who will kick the stuffing out of a hapless victim, yet he does it with a grace that disarms his opponent while simultaneously eviscerating him. He is emphatically not of the (all too common) school that thinks the winner of a debate is he who shouts loudest. His opponents may shout and shriek. Indeed they do. But Hitch doesn’t need to shout. His words, his polymathic store of facts and allusions, his commanding generalship of the field of discourse, the fork lightning of his wit…

…

He has inspired and energised and encouraged us. He has us cheering him on almost daily. He’s even begotten a new word – the hitchslap. We don’t just admire his intellect, we admire his pugnacity, his spirit, his refusal to countenance ignoble compromise, his forthrightness, his indomitable spirit, his brutal honesty.

…

I was asked to honour Christopher Hitchens today. I need hardly say that he does me the far greater honour, by accepting this award in my name. Ladies and gentlemen, comrades, I give you Christopher Hitchens.

Bonus points to Dawkins for saying the word “Hitchslap” :)

There are a couple videos of Hitch’s speech online, though the official one isn’t out just yet — it will be soon:



About Hemant Mehta

Hemant Mehta is the chair of Foundation Beyond Belief and a high school math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago.
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  • S.Y

    Dawkins will be at Oakland University this Thursday! Can’t wait. I should probably get a copy of his book too, but I’ve been too occupied lately.

  • Thin-ice

    Give ‘em hell, Hitchens! Give ‘em hell, Dawkins! Thank the universe we’ve got the “Four Horsemen”, the so-called Angry New Atheists to fight against the ignorance of religious fundamentalism. They inspired me in my de-conversion from 46 years as a christian, and are inspiring my children’s generation to turn away from religious ignorance and towards unhindered rationalism. With their help, we just mightprevent the American Christian Taliban from taking control of this country, as they are attempting to do with candidates like Rick Perry.

  • randall.morrison90

    Revealing violent language from Dawkins.  “Kicking the stuffing out”, “eviscerating”, etc.

    Subconciously revealing what he would to if he had the political power.  I like the comments about “giving them hell”.

    Thats what atheists do when they get the power, create hell on earth.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=553145445 Gordon Duffy

    you seem to be thinking of the Dark Ages, those were not atheists.

  • randall.morrison90

    No, I am just thinking about what they have done in the past One Hundred Years.

    And are still doing.

    As for Hitchens, that drunken sot is a war mongering hater; he is unrepentant about his support of the Bush/Obama wars.  You couldn’t kill Muslims fast enough to keep him happy.

  • Glen Larson

    Revealing violent language from Dawkins.  “Kicking the stuffing out”, “eviscerating”, etc.

    Subconciously revealing what he would to if he had the political power.  I like the comments about “giving them hell”.

    Context sir, it’s all about context, which you conveniently ignore here, as this will prove:

    “He is a debater, who will kick the stuffing out of a hapless victim, yet
    he does it with a grace that disarms his opponent while simultaneously
    eviscerating him. He is emphatically not of the (all too common) school
    that thinks the winner of a debate is he who shouts loudest. His
    opponents may shout and shriek. Indeed they do. But Hitch doesn’t need
    to shout. His words, his polymathic store of facts and allusions, his
    commanding generalship of the field of discourse, the fork lightning of
    his wit . . .”

  • http://www.thinkyhead.com/ Thinkyhead

    Sad sad you.

  • http://considertheteacosy.wordpress.com/ Tea Cosy

    Yeah I hear that, uh, Australia’s pretty hellish these days. And that secularism is really messing up, er, France. Eh. Um. Yeah. Right. That.

  • Da Man

    But da bible must be tru becuz it iz ezer to read the bible than the hard sience books. Plus the tooth fairy and dragons are real too. You dagum atheists with your reasoning, you aint not gonna proove that god and fairys aint real. The bible is the good book with all of the genocide
    that god did. I don’t not know what 1+1 is so god must be the answer, he is he answer to everything. I put that on all of my tests and got an E for effort!

  • Christ

    Debating creationists on the topic of evolution is rather like trying to play chess with a pigeon — it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, and flies back to its flock to claim victory.

  • Dee Phillips5

    I agree with religion poisons everything.