In Defense of Hypocrisy: Picking Sides in the War on Virtue (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"With verve, gusto, and just the right amount of humility, Jeremy Lott argues that hypocrisy isn't as bad as advertised, and that the critics of hypocrisy are often hypocritical themselves. A perfect read and a necessary corrective for this political season." --Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit.com

"Lott argues convincingly that acts of hypocrisy can be embraced, not dismissed. In this highly-readable book, he makes the counterintuitive suggestion that hypocrisy is a natural element of the human condition." --David Mark, author, Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning

 

"The popular usage of the term 'hypocrite' is expansive like a shotgun blast, and is often brought in to describe someone we don't like, doing something that we disagree with, involving some sort of perceived contradiction."

It's an old familiar routine. Dick accuses Jane of rank hypocrisy, while ignoring his own moral inconsistencies. Jane is outraged by the charge, and fires right back. And author Jeremy Lott? Well he's blowing a wet raspberry at the whole ridiculous spectacle.

In Defense of Hypocrisy deconstructs pat prejudices and shallow moralism to probe hypocrisy's real significance, asking:

• Why there is so much hypocrisy, and so much hatred of it?
• Why do we behave so inconsistently but then denounce those traits in others?
• Why are people so often fooled by hypocrites?
• What if hypocrisy is more than just a necessary evil? In fact, what if hypocrisy is also an engine of moral progress?

In Defense of Hypocrisy is part political, part religious, part philosophical, and all honesty. Though the word has long since reached epithet status, Lott beckons the reader to see the real virtue-impoverished agendas behind the accusations and embrace a sturdier, more realistic understanding of a much-maligned vice.

The charges have been brought, the jury bought, and the judge clears his throat to hand down the expected judgment:

"Hypocrisy is a most damnable offense. . . "

"Not so fast," says Jeremy Lott. "I object!"

In Defense of Hypocrisy is the case for a mistrial-a thought-provoking, wit-filled, morally-charged, rollicking justification of good people who behave badly. Lott tackles the alleged two-facedness of popular targets from Bill Bennett to Dick Morris to Britney Spears. Far from focusing merely on politics, Lott looks at philosophy, history, theology, and pop culture to give the hypocrites their due.

This gutsy expose of the corrosive uses of hypocrisy accusations will challenge you to open your mind, hang the jury, and decide for yourself:

Is hypocrisy really so bad?

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (June 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595550526
• ISBN-13: 978-1595550521
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,318,141 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable and Stimulating, July 3, 2006

By	johnt - See all my reviews

Though this book is billed as a defense, it's really much more than that: A study of why hypocrisy is so pervasive, why people are so offended by it, and whether that offense always makes sense. It's a remarkably thorough treatment of the topic, especially considering what a quick read it is. Lott isn't always right (he overestimates the role that aversion to hypocrisy has played in reactions to priest-molester scandals, for example), but he's always thought-provoking.

18 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Starts Strong, but Slips Into Logical Problems, September 7, 2006

By	Russ White "Russ White" (Holly Springs, NC USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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Jeremy Lott's defense of hypocrisy begins strong, with what is probably his strongest argument of the book: Moral weakness is not hypocrisy. He then makes his second argument, that not all hypocrisy is bad, becauase it doesn't always have bad results. In other words, hypocrisy should be judged by the results, rather than by the moral rightness or wrongness of hypocrisy itself.

This is a very weak defence, because it is so easy to show the extreme outcomes. While he decires the slippery slope, he leaves the book with the slippery slope solidly in place: all hypocrisy is relative, based on the outcome or results of the act itself. You can, of course, defend any moral wrong, up to and including murder, on this same ground.

You can see the result in his defense of Brittany Spears, and the Catholic Clergy in their sex scandles, all the while he is saying: "Those hypocritic preachers on TV...."

He also can't seem to figure out why we have an aversion to hypocrisy, or why we consider it wrong. The answer is really very simple, actually: read the Second Commandment. His reasoning on why hypocrisy are so prevalent are pretty good, while his defense of Rick Warren misses the entire point of what's wrong with Warren's teachings.

In the end, this is a pretty good defense of hypocrisy, from a distinctly non-Christian point of view (although the author claims to be a Christian, I see little in his reasoning to show this), but he misses the mark in a lot of ways, and gives a boost to relative morality as the ultimate answer.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, introspective read that loses steam along the way, April 17, 2009

By	Yuni "nut_stud" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This book reminds of reading a B.A. thesis on hypocrisy. It is quite entertaining and thoughtful, and started very interestingly. The beginning of the book was rife with good examples and anecdotes of why we need to re-think the definition and our attitude toward hypocrisy. The author tried to divide the discussion roughly according to hypocrisy in the various aspects of life: politics, religion and the entertainment industry. The writing loses steam about halfway through the book and I had to try really hard to continue reading.

The book tries not too be too academic and arcane, but also failed to reach a mainstream, layman style. It is a good effort and touches an interesting aspect of our everyday lives. The references in this book might be a worthier read. I wouldn't recommend this book unless you have a lot of time in your hands.