Accusing someone of hypocrisy is not a refutation of their idea. It's base rhetoric, used when one can't address the actual argument being put forward. The fa

Accusing someone of hypocrisy is not a refutation of their idea. It's base rhetoric, used when one can't address the actual argument being put forward. The fact that someone does not devote their life to a goal they put forward in no way makes the goal wrong. If a smoker tells you to not to smoke, is he a hypocrite? Sure. Does that mean that he's wrong and you should smoke? No. I'd like to think that HN can do better and actually examine ideas, and not dismiss them because of hypocrisy. Your second paragraph is much, much better in this regard.