2. More than two decades ago, philosopher and medical ethicist Sissela Bok (1983) examined
the sacred and profane implications of maintaining and breaching secrecy. She emphasized
the context in which secrecy occurs and concluded that “[personal] secrecy must end
when public peril begins” (Sennett, 1983, p. 3). However, we’d also argue that there are occasions
when personal secrecy should begin or continue to avert public and personal peril. Bok
wisely advises that the secret-bearer carefully examine his or her motives to assure that a secret is not being upheld simply as a method of reinforcing one’s power over others.