ABSTRACT
One general truth about hypocrisy is that it is often totally irrelevant to what's at issue. Allegations of hypocrisy are treacherous because they can function as argumentative diversions, drawing our attention away from the task of assessing the strength of a position and toward the character of the position's advocate. Why are charges of hypocrisy so potent? The answer is that allegations of hypocrisy summon emotional, and frequently unconscious, reactions to the speaker that undermine his or her credibility, and thus undermine his or her views. The trouble is that what determines the significance of hypocrisy is often our judgment concerning the truth of the position proposed by the hypocrite. There's a difference between dwelling excessively on hypocrisy and seeing how hypocrisy charges can clarify an issue. In other cases, however, hypocrisy is either irrelevant or actually constitutes evidence in favor of the hypocrite's position.
