Lesser of two evils principle

The lesser of two evils principle (or lesser evil principle) is the principle that when faced with selecting from two immoral options, the one which is least immoral should be chosen.

Quotes

• If you are confronted with two evils, thus the argument runs, it is your duty to opt for the lesser one, whereas it is irresponsible to refuse to choose altogether. Those who denounce the moral fallacy of this argument are usually accused of a germ-proof moralism which is alien to political circumstances, of being unwilling to dirty their hands. … The weakness of the argument has always been that those who choose the lesser evil forget very quickly that they chose evil.
  • Hannah Arendt, "Personal Responsibility Under Dictatorship," in Responsibility and Judgment (2003)

• A man is an angel that has become deranged, Joe Fernwright thought. Once they – all of them – had been genuine angels, and at that time they had had a choice between good and evil, so it was easy, easy being an angel. And then something happened. Something went wrong or broke down or failed. And they had become faced with the necessity of choosing not good or evil but the lesser of two evils, and so that had unhinged them and now each was a man.
  • Philip K. Dick, in Galactic Pot-Healer (1969)

See also

• Trolley problem