It is a recurring theme: powerful, successful men have their careers brought down by sex scandals. It is, of course, natural to wonder why this occurs. I will look at three main areas of possible failures: epistemology, logic, and values.
Epistemology is, of course, the study of knowledge. Briefly put, it deals with questions regarding the nature and limits of knowledge. It also involves matters of belief and justification, so much so that philosophers used to often take knowledge to be justified true belief. In the case of sex scandals, such as those that brought Spitzer and Weiner to grief, one likely possibility is that the men do not believe that they will get caught, despite the evidence to the contrary (namely all the other men who have been caught). This can be seen as a epistemic failure on their part in that they hold to a belief that is not true and not justified. It also seems likely that they hed beliefs about their abilities that were not warranted. As such, one factor in their downfall is their epistemic failures.
Naturally, their mistakes can also be partially attributed to failures in critical thinking/logic. To be specific, these men presumably believe that they will not be caught. However, they behave in ways that have often resulted in people getting caught. That they believe they will be the special exception in the face of evidence to the contrary shows a failure of reasoning on their part. Weiner’s case nicely illustrates poor reasoning: he certainly seemed to infer that he would be able to hide his behavior while engaging in that behavior with people he did not know that well via the internet in general and via social media in particular. A little critical thinking would show that his exposure was all but inevitable. As such, failures in critical thinking contributed to their downfall.
The main factor was, obviously enough, a failure in values. These men engaged in behavior that they themselves claim is wrong. If they are truthful about that, then they were acting against their own values and thus engaged in a moral failing. If they did not consider their behavior wrong, then they clearly had a different sort of moral failing, namely a failure to understand the wrongness of their actions. As such, either they were morally weak (and failed to live up to their principles) or they were lacking in moral principles in this regard. Either option would, obviously enough, make it possible for them to engage in such bad behavior.
Let’s go back to tragedy and the “tragic flaw.” I think the urge that drives these particular men to seek political power is entangled with their urge to self destruct.
That could be. Very existentialist.
It might also be the thrill of the risk. People get a charge out of wagering money, but putting everything on the line for some tawdry thrills must really do something for these guys. people used to promise stuff, like a car in every garage. If I ever run for office, I’ll just have a list of things I will not do. Top of the list will be the promise that I will not Tweet junk shots to anyone. Second will be that I won’t get it on with any interns.
For some reason, women were in fact attracted to Weiner. One Fox News journalist that Weiner dated said that women would walk right up to him and hand him their business cards, even when his girlfriend was with him.
Women are attracted to male power more than anything. Weiner’s ego then got the best of him and it’s likely that he caught a usually-female disease before he got maried: He began to define himself by how much attention he got from the opposite sex. Being married limited his ability to act on this attention (or it should have) and he likely found himself questioning his worth to some extant after his recent marriage. I think he wanted to know that he still “had it”.
But yes of course, he was dumb and weak.
That sounds like a plausible analysis. People can get hooked on attention.
Don’t forget morally reprehensible.
Probably there are a number of reasons that so many men will risk their careers, reputations, and even their lives for sex.
The motive is not necessarily sex itself, although it certainly can be. In some cases, a man just wants affirmation that he is attractive and desirable. In other cases, it is probably a subconscious attempt to destroy himself because he doesn’t believe that he deserves the success he has achieved. Some men are simply bullies and forcing their attention onto others is a form of bullying; it’s a way of exercising power. And, in some cases, it is lust.
Plato would probably say that such men let their desires rule them and hence fall into disreputable activities.
Cheaters seem a lot like people who smoke pot. Have you ever noticed that when some people are totally baked, they think that no one knows they are high? Yet everyone knows. Likewise for many cheaters-they think they are getting away with it, when they are dropping clues as often as they are dropping their pants.
Cheaters may sometimes get away with it, but if they keep it up, getting caught is almost inevitable. Even if they are not caught, cheating would probably damage their relationships in ways which they might not anticipate.
If a man cheats on his wife, he will probably feel guilty on some level, and that guilt can poison the relationship. He may begin to rationalize by assuming that his wife would also cheat. Trust is likely to be undermined.
I know of a case where a man cheated on his wife. The marriage ended in divorce and he married a woman who had cheated on her husband. Neither trusted each other; they both watched each other very carefully. Their son said that for a while he was thinking about doing something to hurt them. I told him that that was totally unnecessary because it was unlikely that, because of mistrust, the two would never be happy together.