To Hitch: On the Formation of Doubt Society

I began writing this piece on April 13, the day Christopher Hitchens was born and the first Hitch equinox of the year. (The second may be observed on the day of his death, December 15th.) Commemorators of the occasion may easily be observed on the web. Blog posts, such as this one, are common. The Reddit thread in his honor sees an uptick in activity and salutations. Instagram especially, if one is sincere enough an acolyte to follow the #christopherhitchens hashtag, is filled with images of books, portraits, doodles, quotations, and glasses filled with Johnnie Walker Black Label. Prepare the drink correctly now: two parts whiskey and two parts Perrier, no ice.

I would be a liar, and not a very convincing one, if I tried to pretend that Hitchens has not had a significant role in shaping my personhood. The books I read, the way I try to write, the manner in which I think, even the liquor I drink–the Hitch has influenced it all. But, at the risk of sounding mawkish, I don't simply admire Hitch, I am drawn to him.

There are of course the immediate appeals: the voice, the striking features, the impossibly quick wit and the accuracy of deployment. But if one pushes on, past the superficial, they'll soon arrive at the really endearing bits. His enormous capacity for humor and his insatiable desire for, and cultivation of, friendship. All his seemingly impossible contradictions (you know the Walt Whitman line I'm thinking of) that he so aptly coined his Hitch-22. His affirmation of hatred and condonement of division. These qualities that I, and so many others find so magnetic, when summed, result in the human, or as he would refer to us as–the mammal–of Christopher Hitchens. And it is chiefly Christopher who has inspired me to undertake this project.

In his autobiography, the photo of Hitch and the other three Horsemen is captioned as follows.

At last, a party of positive non-belief to which I can be fully committed. With Professors Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins and Dr. Sam Harris, at the inaugural meeting of the "Four Horsemen" faction at my home in Washington. I look and feel flattered by the implied parity.

Party of positive non-belief, though precise in description, does not roll fluidly off the tongue. It is also insufficiently crisp, far too rich in plosives, and not easily abbreviated. So when pondering name potentiates for this project, I immediately recognized that this phrase could not be employed in its present form. However, I knew inspiration could and should be drawn from it. Perhaps a simple deconstruction and reassembling could do the trick.

The phrase breaks down easily. Party implies a group of people, usually of a shared interest. Positive indicates that the uniting cause of the group is not simply one of passive acceptance, but a source of invigoration and action. And non-belief is of course the insistence that the religious itch, though present in most humans, ought to be pondered, but ultimately rejected.

How then could these parts be combined to reflect the original sentiment, but in a pithy and melodic fashion? Doubt Society was the result. Other options were proposed, in fact an entire list was contrived, but I kept returning to the former.

Now, I am by no means attempting to claim that this platform constitutes the continuation of the group of which Christopher was a founder. I no more believe I am Peter, than I believe Christopher to be Christ. This is not the church; I am not the rock. Rather, I hope this undertaking is viewed as an offshoot of Christopher's party of positive non-belief. This is one of many, as I am not the first nor the last individual to source inspiration from the Hitch. I have encountered many other influential persons throughout my life, who I am sure will soon pop up in citations and quotations, and if I'm especially fortuitous, may one day be contributors or guests. But none so much as Christopher.

He once wrote of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, "I try not to have personal heroes or heroines, but I do regard Ayaan Hirsi Ali as personally heroic; I'm lost in admiration for her."

While I wholeheartedly share in his admiration of Ayaan, I find the sentiment equally applicable to Christopher. The man was not perfect. He wasn't right about everything. But he is as impossible to ignore, as he is easy to admire.

So here is to the foundation of Doubt Society. But more importantly, here's to Hitch.