Unethical Hypocrisy: Introduction

Welcome to the new update of my site. While I have been writing since my last regular posting, I haven't gotten around to publishing to the blog. I wanted to give the site an updated look, and get back into the swing of regular writing and posting, so I thought I would kick things off with a topic that is a significant irritant to me, hypocrisy.

Last spring, while taking a course in Ethics, I chose to write a paper debating whether or not hypocrisy could be seen as ethical or unethical. I came firmly down on the side that hypocrisy is always unethical in every situation. However, while writing the paper I was constrained by length limitations and was, therefore, unable to elaborate on many areas which I thought would help drive my point forward. It is now my intention to flesh out those arguments in a more complete (though perhaps less formal) fashion over the next few weeks.

To begin the discussion, I am posting the full text of my Ethics paper (with parenthetical citations) from last spring. I hope you will find it interesting, as I plan to go deeper into the nature of hypocrisy as related to politics, religion, and personal relationships. Please feel free to leave comments, and I may try to address any intellectual arguments presented in the future updates.

I hope you enjoy this short series. I will get back to my usual social blogging once school starts back up on August 16th.

Welcome to My Life...

So, it's 2 AM, I've got an algebra class at 8 AM, and I'm awake making a blog. While I'm not sure I really have anything important or interesting to say, I have been wanting to make a blog lately for some reason. Perhaps it's my lifelong penchant for anything vaguely presumptuous. Or maybe I just have a longing to have someone hear what I have to say.

It's not like I'm shy or anything. Hell, I've got a big mouth and I'm not afraid to use it... Frequently. But like a lot of Americans with blogs I seem to have this bizarre sense of self-importance, as though anything that comes dribbling out of my mind MUST, by my very nature of being, have profound meaning, and swaths of listeners should beckon to my call. Okay, perhaps I am getting a bit full of myself.

So, what, exactly do I think you might actually get out of reading my blog? Well, aside from hopefully witty, cynical observations of life, I'm hoping you'll be able to use my thoughts as a springboard for your own ideas about things which are important in your own life. And, since I am hoping to eventually become a psychotherapist, if you start to feel like you've found a kindred spirit I'd be happy to hear your thoughts about some minor life stresses and see if I can help offer some fresh perspectives about how to cope.

Well, that's probably all I should post for now. We'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with one another in the months ahead.

Have fun, and keep living life... or some approximation thereof!