There are all kinds of stupid people that annoy me but what annoys me most is a lazy argument.
Interpretation
The quote expresses frustration towards those who engage in unproductive or lazy reasoning in arguments.
Christopher Hitchens highlights a particular irritation he has with people who present weak or lazy arguments in discussions. In his view, such arguments not only lack depth and thoughtfulness but also undermine meaningful discourse, making it difficult to engage in productive conversations. This statement underscores the importance of critical thinking and the need to articulate one's thoughts and opinions with care and rigor.
In practice
In a debate about climate change, I used this quote to emphasize the need for well-researched arguments.
In a public dialogue with Salman in London he [Edward Said] had once described the Palestinian plight as one where his people, expelled and dispossessed by Jewish victors, were in the unique historical position of being 'the victims of the victims': there was something quasi-Christian, I thought, in the apparent humility of that statement.
What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Never ask while you are doing it if what you are doing is fun. Don't introduce even your most reliably witty acquaintance as someone who will set the table on a roar.
[E]xceptional claims demand exceptional evidence.
The worst days are when you feel foggy in the head - chemo-brain they call it. It's awful because you feel boring. As well as bored. And stupid. And resigned.
Let me tell you something: for hundreds of thousands of years, this kind of discussion would have been impossible to have, or those like us would have been having it at the risk of our lives. Religion now comes to us in this smiley-face, ingratiating way β because itβs had to give so much more ground and because we know so much more. But youβve got no right to forget the way it behaved when it was strong, and when it really did believe that it had God on its side.
The spirit of Lincoln still lives; that spirit born of the teachings of the Nazarene, who promised mercy to the merciful, who lifted the lowly, strengthened the weak, ate with publicans, and made the captives free. In the light of this divine example, the doctrines of demagogues shiver in their chaff.
Tis sometimes the height of wisdom to feign stupidity.
I have a huge and savage conscience that won't let me get away with things.
There is no point in apportioning blame. What is done, is done.
We learn to curb our will and keep our overt actions within the bounds of humanity, long before we can subdue our sentiments and imaginations to the same mild tone.
Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
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