From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordHypocrisy is a false appearance of goodness or conformity presented to secure approval.
- In TraherneThe underlying impulse is surprisingly generous: people want to delight others and become beloved.
- In this editionThe occurrence does not single out a named religious group or a particular hypocrite.
- A place to beginHypocrisies arise when the natural desire to please follows a community’s mistaken valuations.
Meaning
Hypocrisy is a false appearance of goodness or conformity presented to secure approval. The plural in Traherne names one of several corrupt forms taken by the wish to please.
Use in the book
The underlying impulse is surprisingly generous: people want to delight others and become beloved. When their audience mistakes felicity, that good impulse turns them toward admired vanities and deceptive performances. Hypocrisy therefore arises within a social education of desire, not merely from an isolated decision to lie. The analysis locates a remedy in correcting both the object sought and the measure of excellence.
Places to read
- IV.44Hypocrisies arise when the natural desire to please follows a community’s mistaken valuations.
In this edition
The occurrence does not single out a named religious group or a particular hypocrite. Its target is a general mechanism of conformity through misdirected approval-seeking.
Source note
Primary text: IV.44.