I always enjoyed what heard from Christopher Hitchens. As difficult to hear as some of his opinions were, he seemed to be an interesting, pleasant man at a distance, very smart and a great stone for sharpening one’s mental sword. Cal Thomas reflects on his death in this column, pointing to the truth that has endured centuries of caustic argument.

Hitchens’ brother, Peter, has written about him too, calling him courageous. “I offer it because the word ‘courage’ is often misused today. People sometimes tell me that I have been ‘courageous’ to say something moderately controversial in a public place. Not a bit of it. This is not courage. Courage is deliberately taking a known risk, sometimes physical, sometimes to your livelihood, because you think it is too important not to.”