What is a secret? On the one hand, it is a mystery in its most fundamental form. It is what should never be disclosed. On the other hand, in order for it to be defined as a secret, it has to be formulated in words, be told to someone, a very special one, secretly. The teller of the secret creates a treaty of loyalty with her addressee, a loyalty which exceeds the self, yet somehow remains within it. They are either two people trying to function as one, or one person who is divided into two. This analysis raises various dilemmas regarding both the personal and public arenas. When does the secret force itself upon us and what is the meaning of its appearance? My close friend tells me secretly that he is disloyal to his wife, who is also a close friend. Should I tell her? I am gossiping with A on B’s behavior. Is this immoral? What should be the guidelines of right and wrong when it comes to the secrets of decision makers in the political sphere? Whom do they represent in their confidential conversations? Who should decide on state secrets? And what should be the role of the press in this context? Whom are doctors to be loyal to – their patients? The public? Their profession? If a patient suffers from the HIV virus and refuses to tell that to his partner, is the doctor allowed (or obliged) to tell her? Some of these questions are given definite answers in this book; others remain undecided. And while discussing them, The Secret Is Out also analyses concepts such as the nature of promises, political ethics, the relations between the individual and the public, and the essence of love. The book examines philosophical works, sociological studies, passages from the Bible and the Talmud, laws of parliament, fiction and poetry.

This book deals with being grateful and with the moral status of gratitude. It claims that gratitude is a moral obligation of great importance, being the right response to something done for the agent and out of regard for her. The more is done for her, the more grateful she should be. And yet, it seems that whoever is doing something out of regard for us is expecting nothing in return. Gratitude thus becomes a paradoxical obligation: the recipient of the favor owes something to the giver, which the giver does not want. Sometimes the recipient does not want it either. He is attached to it unwillingly, trying to rid himself of it if he only could. Can he? And how are his attempts to do so connected to being ungrateful? This book analyses such cases, and juxtaposes them with cases of full and happy gratitude. I claim that children's gratitude towards their parents is the paradigm case of full gratitude. But how can children show their gratitude? What should they do? Can one really do enough to thank another for upbringing one and shaping her into who she is? This is a philosophical book, presenting and criticizing philosophical analyses of gratitude, from Seneca to Kant, and from Kant to modern thinkers. But among its heros you will also find Dickens's Pip of "Great Expectations," Rabi Hia, Rabi and a Koves (washer) from the Talmud, key figures of psychological and sociological thinking, Jean Valjean and Javert of Hugo's "Les Miserables," and a construction and development company selling shares at the stock exchange.