In Defense of American Hypocrisy

Oddly enough, hypocrisy is necessary for a moral life. Here's why.

Illustration by TIME (Source Image: hudiemm/Getty Images)

The history of American hypocrisy is tragically long. But over time I came to see something else. Hypocrisy is, in its own perverse way, an acknowledgment of our ideals. To be a hypocrite you must first affirm that certain principles matter—even if you fail to live up to them.

In my new TIME essay adapted from my book The Case For American Power, I argue in defense of hypocrisy as necessary for a moral life. To be seen as hypocritical is the cost of trying to be better than you actually are. And that’s a good thing.

Of course, there is such a thing as being too bad—and too hypocritical. But there is also such a thing as being too good, where your own purity takes precedence over all else, leading to inflexibility and inaction. If you’re so afraid of undermining your own moral superiority, you might be tempted to withdraw from politics altogether.

But, as the political scientist Ruth Grant notes, this withdrawal is ultimately self-centered because it is largely concerned with preserving your own sense of righteousness at the expense of helping the people who actually need it.

Read the full TIME essay here. And please do consider pre-ordering a copy of the book. I’d be forever grateful. Pre-orders make a big difference for the book’s impact and rankings, available here on Amazon and from other booksellers here.