Hypocrisy (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Hypocrisy is the act of persistently professing beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that are inconsistent with one's actions. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie.
The hypocrite thinks that what he usually professes does not somehow apply to him. It is not simply an inconsistency between what is praised or admired and what is done. Samuel Johnson made this point when he wrote about the misuse of the charge of "hypocrisy" in Rambler No. 14:
Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory, as a man may be confident of the advantages of a voyage, or a journey, without having courage or industry to undertake it, and may honestly recommend to others, those attempts which he neglects himself.
A finer distinction that circumvents this apparent contradiction would be that to espouse an idea, but not live up to it, might simply mean one hasn't yet conquered some self perceived shortfall (as in Samuel Johnson's example). However to condemn others for behavior that the condemner engages in clearly falls outside this gray area and into hypocrisy.
