The Specter of Hypocrisy

Testing the Limits of Moral Discourse

Raphael Sassower author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:Springer Nature Switzerland AG

Published:17th Nov '21

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The Specter of Hypocrisy cover

Raphael Sassower examines the concept of hypocrisy for its strategic potential as a means of personal protection and social cohesion. Given the contemporary context of post-truth, the examination of degrees or kinds of hypocrisy moves from the Greek etymology of masks worn on the theater stage to the Hebrew etymology of the color adjustment of chameleons to their environment. Canonical presuppositions about the uniformity of the mind and the relation between intention and behavior that warrant the charge of hypocrisy are critically reconsidered in order to appreciate both inherent inconsistencies in personal conduct and the different contexts where the hypocrisy appears. Sassower considers the limits of analytic moral and political discourses that at times overlook the conditions under which putative hypocritical behavior is existentially required and where compromises yield positive results. When used among friends, the charge of hypocrisy is a useful tool with which to build trust and communities.


ISBN: 9783030605759

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

238 pages

1st ed. 2020