Political Hypocrisy: The Mask of Power, from Hobbes to Orwell and Beyond
by David Runciman (Princeton, £17.95)
Shakespeare’s Polonius issues one of the English language’s most beautiful warnings against hypocrisy: “This above all: to thine own self be true / And it doth follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
Because Polonius is a courtier-politician, the sentiment doesn’t seem quite right coming from him. Today, our perspective is more likely to echo Groucho Marx’s: “The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made.” Why do we disapprove of hypocrisy so much and yet find it so hard to avoid? It’s a question that’s especially pertinent if, like me, you are a professional politician with teenage children pouncing on your every lapse.
If you are a subscriber, please log in »
This article is available to subscribers only
Subscribing to Prospect is the most reliable and convenient way to receive the magazine every month, and offers the best value.Subscription Types:
Online
An online subscription offers you complete and unlimited access to the entire website, including our searchable archive of every back issue of Prospect, and a PDF edition of each new issue: all this for just £20 per year. Purchase an online subscription »Renewal
Renew an existing subscription »Institutional access
If you are a library, business organisation or any other large institution that needs a multi-user licence, you can obtain institutional access.
Share
Subscribe to post comments
Print
