Buch, Englisch, 114 Seiten, Format (B × H): 143 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 255 g
Buch, Englisch, 114 Seiten, Format (B × H): 143 mm x 222 mm, Gewicht: 255 g
ISBN: 978-1-5095-6597-9
Verlag: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
But is hypocrisy always reprehensible? Nadia Urbinati argues that society, friendship and love all require a measure of hypocrisy – what she calls ‘virtuous hypocrisy’. If we were always uncompromisingly honest in public, it would be a disaster for everyone. Sometimes it is better to refrain from speaking your mind: hypocrisy can be a form of civility and a sign of maturity and autonomy. And in politics too, a degree of hypocrisy and inconsistency is essential. The important thing is to understand when and within what limits hypocrisy can be justified, and to avoid it becoming systematic and leading to outright lying and deception. Urbinati does not praise hypocrisy unconditionally but argues that a degree of hypocrisy is essential to the smooth functioning of our social and political life.
This perceptive reappraisal of a much-maligned concept will be of interest to students and academics in politics and political theory and to a wide general readership.