Lesser of two evils principle
The lesser of two evils principle, also referred to as the lesser evil principle and lesser-evilism, is the principle that when faced with selecting from two immoral options, the least immoral one should be chosen. The principle is sometimes recalled in reference to binary political choices in democratic voting under a two-party system.
Origin
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The maxim existed already in Platonic philosophy.[1] In Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle writes: "For the lesser evil can be seen in comparison with the greater evil as a good, since this lesser evil is preferable to the greater one, and whatever preferable is good". The modern formulation was popularized by Thomas à Kempis' devotional book The Imitation of Christ written in early 15th century.
In part IV of his
Proposition 65: "According to the guidance of reason, of two things which are good, we shall follow the greater good, and of two evils, follow the less."
In modern elections
The concept of "lesser evil" voting (LEV) can be seen as a form of the minimax strategy where voters, when faced with two or more candidates, choose the one they perceive as the least harmful or the "lesser evil." To do so, "voting should not be viewed as a form of personal self-expression or moral judgement directed in retaliation towards major party candidates who fail to reflect our values, or of a corrupt system designed to limit choices to those acceptable to corporate elites" rather as an opportunity to reduce harm or loss.[3]
In 2012,
In the 2016 United States presidential election, both major candidates of the major parties — Hillary Clinton (D) and Donald Trump (R) — had disapproval ratings close to 60% by August 2016.[5] Green Party candidate Jill Stein invoked this idea in her campaign stating, "Don't vote for the lesser evil, fight for the greater good".[6] Green Party votes hurt Democratic chances in 2000 and 2016.[7][8][9] Accordingly, the lesser evil principle should be applied to two front-runners among many choices, after eliminating from consideration "minor party candidates (who) can be spoilers in elections by taking away enough votes from a major party candidate to influence the outcome without winning."[10]
In elections between only two candidates where one is mildly unpopular and the other immensely unpopular, opponents of both candidates frequently advocate a vote for the mildly unpopular candidate. For example, in the second round of the
The principle of "the lesser of two evils" is sometimes jokingly (ignoring its strategic importance) changed to "the evil of two lessers", such as in the titles of these articles about the US presidential elections of 1988[12] and 2016.[13]
Mythology
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See also
- Binary opposition
- Consequentialism
- Dilemma
- False dilemma
- Minimax
- Mouseland
- Necessary evil
- Principle of double effect
- Two wrongs make a right
- Trolley problem
- Ticking time bomb scenario
References
- ISBN 9781139501439.
- ASIN B00DO8NRDC.
- ^ Noam Chomsky and John Halle, "An Eight Point Brief for LEV (Lesser Evil Voting)," New Politics, June 15, 2016.
- ^ a b Stanford Jay Rosen (2012-09-25). "Don't Get Fooled Again: Why Liberals and Progressives Should Vote Enthusiastically for President Obama". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
- ^ Aaron Blake (2016-08-31). "A record number of Americans now dislike Hillary Clinton". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-31.
- ^ "Meet Jill Stein, the Other Anti-Establishment Progressive Running for President". 26 May 2016.
- ^ "Did Ralph Nader Spoil Al Gore's Presidential Bid? A Ballot-Level Study of Green and Reform Party Voters in the 2000 Presidential Election". Retrieved 30 March 2023.
- ^ "Jill Stein cost Hillary dearly in 2016. Democrats are still writing off her successor". Politico.
- ^ "Green Party candidate Jill Stein got more votes than Trump's victory margin in 3 key states". December 2016.
- ^ "10.6 Minor Parties," American Government and Politics in the Information Age, University of Minnesota, 2011.
- ^ "Chirac's new challenge". The Economist. 2002-05-06. Retrieved 2011-04-15.
- ^ Schneider, William (18 September 1988). "THE EVIL OF TWO LESSERS". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English available online
- ^ Noted by Edward Charles Harington in Notes and Queries 5th Series, 8 (7 July 1877:14).