The Lesser of Two Evils

“In their moral justification, the argument of the lesser evil has played a prominent role. If you are confronted with two evils, the argument runs, it is your duty to opt for the lesser one, whereas it is irresponsible to refuse to choose altogether. Its weakness has always been that those who choose the lesser evil forget quickly that they chose evil.” – Hannah Arendt, political philosopher

There are not many things that drive me nuts in life, but the fact that most people I know try to “sensible” and “practical” by choosing the less or 2 evils is one of them – especially when they vote. I could never quite put my finger on what drove me crazy about this way of thinking, until the read the quote above by Hannah Arendt. I am now convinced that one of the most successful and seductive strategies of evil [eg. Anti- LIFE in the long term, ecosystem sense] is to convince us that our only choice is some form of evil—that we must choose between the lesser of two evils. I struggle to admit it, because I know just how real the choice of evils dilemma can be, but to choose the lesser of two evils is still to choose evil. I am coming to believe the choice of evils “defence” as it is called, is not so much a logical fallacy as it is a fallacy created by a short-term self-centred world view. Why? Because there must always be another option. While it may not always seem like a “good” alternative, there is, if we think beyond the moment, a non-evil option.

But it gets worse. Not only does choosing the “lesser evil” still promote evil but it makes impossible the “non-evil” options because they are not even considered. This way of thinking greatest power is eliminating the power of our imaginations and visions of alternatives that it creates. It thus traps us in a living hell, a hell that we eventually come to believe is the “Real world” when much of human society is only as real as we can imagine. If we cannot imagine that reducing social inequality is not only possible but absolutely necessary for our long term survival – then the “lesser evil” is just accept it as we say to ourselves: “well, that just the way the world is. There will always be slums and destitution and homelessness.” Really, such lazy acceptance is the result of choosing the “lesser evil”.

Specifically in today’s Canada I would consider any acceptance of any BAU [Business As Usual] as a choice for the ‘lesser evil’. I, and many of you reading this, see our current way of life heading towards teh Abyss – not because it is inevitable, but because we constantly choose the “lesser evil”. Here is a concrete example of what I mean. We know GHGs are causing climate change and the results of this will be massively negative and cause many deaths – both human and non-human. So we buy an electric car. I did. It’s the ‘lesser evil’. But if we are brutally honest it’s still evil – in the Kantian sense that if everybody did it we would not enough copper from sources that did not destroy a remote ecosystem or clean electricity and thus our choice of the ‘lesser evil’ is immoral if we follow Kant whose Moral Imperative more or less states: If others did your “good” action would it still be good? If not, then your “good” action isn’t actually good. Thus, the non-evil choice, at least at this point in time in Canada, a life-affirming long term choice, is to not have a car at all and if one is needed from time to time to rent one. I have some friends who have done just that. I have not. I would find it so painful, in the short term and for me, that I have chosen the “lesser evil”.

So I know I am doing evil, but I do it anyway. Why? Partly to be “normal”. [A powerful cognitive bias that is a topic in itself] Partly because I would have to move if I had no car. Partly because I love the freedom of movement a car gives me. But there is a cost. I am conflicted. I know that I am compromised. And as I get older that sense that I am not the best I can for the future of my grandchildren weighs on my more and more. So I hope. I dream. I do make baby steps to helping the younger people I am around to be ready for a different future than we experience now. I still see the cup half full because at the end of the day our Way of Life will change because ecological-biological forces far more powerful than any human force will make us live in balance with the rest of world’s species – or our civilization collapses.

So what can you and I do now? Stop voting for the ‘lesser evil’. Keep your imagination and idealism alive – all the while keeping your feet on the ground and living within your budget and health constraints. Work hard to make choices that are not just about the moment, not just about you, but choose the 3^rd path, the path of necessity, anything not BAU – and then these words of St. Francis of Assisi will become real to you:

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.