Topics Ethics

Question Supposing I am involved in an argument in which I am claiming a certain kind of behaviour to be wrong and my opponent points out that I have behaved in this way in the past. Would this constitute a strong response? If I make no attempt to claim that it was 'ok' for me to have behaved in such a way can I escape the charge of hypocrisy? Alongside this, if the person is able to accuse me of hypocrisy does it reject the point or merely my alleged 'right' to speak about it? thanks Alastair

Accepted:
April 3, 2008

Comments

If you endorse some ideals or moral demands but nonetheless act contrary to those ideals or demands, you may open yourself up to the charge of hypocrisy. At the very least, you would seem to open yourself up to the charge of weakness of will. Exactly what the line is between mere weakness of will and hypocrisy is not entirely clear. Perhaps it is that whereas the weak willed person readily concedes that her own behavior is deficient, the hypocrite does not. I am not sure. In any case, I don't see that your failure to conform to your ideals or moral beliefs shows that those ideals or beliefs are wrong or that you don't have a right to express them. My guess is that failure to honor your moral ideals may reduce your credibility or authority as a rhetorical matter. Maybe the thought is that if you haven't managed to be faithful to your ideals, then maybe you don't really believe them yourself. But if we are talking about weakness, rather than hypocrisy, I see no reason to doubt the sincerity or grounds of your ideals, merely on the ground that you are not able to live up to them consistently. If weakness automatically compromised one as a moral interlocutor or authority, only saints could be interlocutors and most parents could never offer moral guidance to their children.