According to Dante's Inferno, which sin is considered the worst?

In Dante's Inferno, fraud is considered the worst sin largely because it involves a deliberate deception that undermines the very fabric of trust and morality within society. Dante places the fraudulent in the deeper circles of Hell, situated in the Eighth Circle, known as Malebolge. This placement reflects the seriousness with which Dante views fraud, as it is a conscious betrayal of others, manipulating them for personal gain.

Fraud encompasses a range of behaviors, from simple lies to complex schemes designed to exploit trust. This sin opposes the natural order since it corrupts the bond between individuals, violating the ethical and moral obligations within relationships. By portraying fraudulent individuals as suffering greater torment than those guilty of other sins, Dante emphasizes the moral gravity of betrayal over instinctual faults or errors in judgment, such as violence or lust.

This perspective is consistent throughout medieval thought, where fraud was viewed as particularly vile because it required a higher level of premeditation and malice, setting it apart from sins driven by passion or impulse. In Dante’s hierarchical view of sin, the act of deceiving others not only betrays them but also stands in stark contrast to virtues such as honesty and integrity that are foundational to human interaction and society itself.