“I believe I shall write no more History but proceed directly to attack the Lord’s Prayer and the ten Commandments, and to recommend suicide & adultery”.. David Hume
My good friend Tilak Datta, tried to understand my views on hypocrisy and politeness, he urged me to write something on the topic. I realise, though simple but yet its a very complicated topic. Complicated, because, it’s very difficult to draw a line and decide the extent of politeness and hypocrisy. I tried to get inside myself and took some help from the internet. Believe it or not, I have read one complete e-book on the topic. ‘Hypocrisy and the Politics of Politeness’ by Jenny Davidson. Jenny tried to dive into the depth of time to bring out the essence of these two words. She has brought in many references from the work of Hume and Chesterfield. Hume,argued that philosophers who call God – God are hypocrites and accepted that god is a civil union.
Both Chesterfield and Hume used the term ‘Gallantry’ to articulate ideas about dissimulation that are inseparable from the forms of politeness they endorse. Hume used the word gallantry as a synecdouche for civility which rendered him vulnerable and was attacked by reformers. Hume it seems believed adultery is accepted as long as it is discreetly conducted and that gallantry and civilization are mutually dependent.
Hypocrisy is the negative aspect and conceived as the root of ill-mindedness. On the contrary, Politeness gets an upper hand. Research shows that gallantry requires politeness, but I believe that hypocrisy has a huge chunk of politeness hidden in it. Either that hypocrisy is a conscious attempt or it can be a subconscious attempt. Every human being is a hypocrite at some point of time, depending on the situation and state of mind and not to forget the socio-economic scenario.
I believe that hypocrisy is largely visible with public figures, and with people with less or no substance, trying desperately to seek attention of their sexual counterparts. Hypocrites create a world of illusion around themselves and start believing in that world after sometime. But as this world gradually starts to collapse, they not only fail others but most importantly themselves.
Politeness is a natural expression, a natural emotion and has no motive/s. Hypocrisy is dependent and grows either naturally or superficially inside a head, depending on motives. One can be Hypocritically Polite, but not vice versa.
subhajitroychowdhury 