Hypocrisy. Paradoxical apology of a lesser evil

Abstract

After a short historical excursus, that doesn’t pretend to be complete, but is only directed to understand the meaning of the term hypocrisy in some authors. I concentrate on its paradoxical defense. Paradoxical because, though morally censurable, the hypocritical attitude preserves the integrity of the ethical value, that it apparently respects, but secretly violates.