krinein- decide/sift
Hypocrite: one who is under-decided.
Samuel Johnson once pointed out that a hypocrite isn't one who has a firm conviction and yet fails to follow through with it. There may be good reasons why someone is not able to live up to their own principles. A hypocrite, rather (following the more original construction), is someone who cannot decide between convictions, someone who has a difficult time "sifting" the arguments and coming to a decision. There is a sense of indeterminacy in the word that doesn't yet have the negative moral quality attached to it by later usage. In fact the hypocrite was one who often provoked this indecision in others. The ancient Greek hypocrite was an actor. What experience did the hypocrite provoke in the audience?: a hypocrisis (modern: hypocrisy). Every act of deciding is preceded by a crisis. Avoiding the crisis by deferring the act of decision altogether was not a legitimate option. The intention to decide was signalled not only by entering into the theatre environment, but by remaining in one's place within the theatre, by accepting the coming crisis. We all take our exits eventually.. but while we choose to remain, the possibility -the inevitability- of a crisis also remains.
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