Why We Hate Hypocrites

Pragmatists,

I think of all of humanity’s common flaws, hypocrisy is probably the most irritating to us.

We immediately are hostile to someone when they act out of accordance with what they preach. It drives us nuts. We begin pointing fingers at them, blaming, and then they sputter out justifications or reasons for their exceptionalism. That just makes it even worse.

Well, the trouble is that hypocrisy doesn’t necessarily mean someone is wrong. That’s why there’s the “appeal to hypocrisy” fallacy.

It’s because when we bring up someone’s hypocrisy, we are changing the focus from the actual problem at hand to the person’s character. Instead of looking at the truth of the matter, we’re detracting the speaker.

Makes sense, right?

Well, I’ve been thinking on this for a long time. It’s true that someone could be making a great point but is just too incapable of living up to it. I’ll admit that much.

But does that mean we just let someone get away with their blatant contradictions? Their unjust actions while they bludgeon others with a moral rock?

By Lawrence Chismorie

Today, I’m coming in defense of the dislike for hypocrites. It’s a strange topic and a strange position, but I promise you that there’s a few points to it.

We know that hypocrisy erodes the credibility of a person. But it does more than just damage the person. It damages any ideas they may be associated with.

For example, if you were watching a presidential race and one of the candidates running for Party A was calling to traditional moral values, but was caught snorting coke and hiring prostitutes to join him at his suite in The Bellagio, you’d think of him as a pretty hypocritical, selfish person.

Additionally, you’d look at Party A and wonder what the hell were they thinking? How did this guy get to be the candidate?

It’s even worse when someone might have a brilliant idea to revolutionize life itself, but they can’t act on it.

Drawing by Karl Bauer

Take Nietzsche for example. Wickedly poetic man that made fantastic, complicated, and inspiring writings. He is loved by both his fans and enemies, just because of how potent and well-articulated his nearly maddening philosophy is.

He made the idea of the ubermensch or “overman,” someone who uses their will to power to be above others and seek what he wants out of life.

But something so dark and compelling has an ugly truth. Nietzsche died while being insane from syphilis and suffering from his drug dependency. He went mad and when we look at that, it doesn’t seem very ubermensch to me. In some way, he had failed to act out this fantastic “will to power.”

Even the noble philosophy of Stoicism has its own problem with hypocrisy.

Seneca, a Roman Stoic and Senator, was very happy to live a wealthy and lavish life. Of course, he was self-aware, and made efforts to “live in poverty”, from time to time— but he admits in a letter to a friend that he is ashamed on how he can no longer do cold plunges and needs hot bath water, despite his belief that cold plunges are necessary for one’s health. He would throw very elaborate parties and reportedly purchased 500 ivory tables.

Who needs that many tables? Holy moly.

Maybe too we can examine the religious zealots of history that after incongruently to their savior’s teachings of peace and love. Crusades for treasure, witch trials to people that threatened power structures, so on.

This is the difficulty with hypocrisy. It makes ideas unappealing because the living, breathing person that professes these ideas to us won’t even act that way. They don’t embody the virtues they claim others should follow.

So what are we left to look at that? Imagine if you were eager for a religion, but every priest, monk, or guide you looked at was a belligerent, violent drunk or sexual deviant.

So much for the spiritual life.

You have no incentive to buy in because the only living examples you are surrounded by are repulsive.

This is why hypocrisy and making exceptions for ourselves is dangerous: we suppress the ability for good ideas and good people to flourish. It is poison to human development and the many philosophies that could transform our lives.

And if we’re not living up to our ideas, then how can we be so certain that they work? “It’s really simple,” they say, “just follow the keto diet.” While stuffing their face with Chex Mix.

We hate hypocrites because we feel like they have failed the human spirit. The part of humanity that is always striving to be better. It’s never commendable to be at odds with yourself— the self is not the enemy. So why contradict it, make it suffer?

The tiny moments of weakness where we give into our hypocritical urges are actually opportunities to exercise a great moment of strength.

Something to think about for ourselves.

Until next time,

Eli