this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2025
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Back in the day, ex-slave Frederick Douglas had to choose between supporting a Presidential candidate who was for immediate abolition of slavery or helping a wishy-washy liberal who wouldn't come out in favor of abolition. Douglas chose to support the liberal because Douglas thought the liberal had a better chance of winning the election. Douglas had to weight the odds and decided that it was better to have a President who might listen to the abolition cause than it was to be 'moral' and lose the election.
Perfect example since slavery wasn't banned until the slave states straight up declared war on the free states. You'll never get a wishy-washy candidate to oppose institutional violence. Only direct action will end injustice
You really should read up a bit more on the Civil War. Maryland was a slave state that stuck with the Union.
That's not so much "lesser evil" as "achievable good".
Tom-A-to, tom-AH-to.
Moral relativism is consequentialist nonsense, and like most consequentialist nonsense, easy to abuse to justify evil acts. I can't agree to that.
Back in the day, philosophers would stand in the public square and debate any one as an equal.
Today, 'philosophers' hide behind specialized lingo only they understand.
And don't say I could look it up. Einstein said that if a scientist couldn't explain what he was doing to a five year old the scientist was a fraud.
Okay, five-year-old:
Doing good is important. Sometimes, you want do do a lot of good but feel like you can only do a little good. That's okay! Do what you can.
Sometimes you may think it's okay to be naughty, because you know other kids who are very naughty all the time. But it's still not okay to be naughty, even a little bit.
My father is going to beat up my mom if he finds out that she took his drug money to buy food.
Are you saying I shouldn't lie? That it's more important to tell the truth than to protect my mom from a beating?
False dichotomy, those aren't your only choices.
Further, lying isn't automatically wrong. Deceiving or otherwise inhibiting a hostile, evil entity is virtuous.
"Lying isn't automatically wrong."
Thanks for making my point for me.
Your point remains unmade. If it was a defense of moral relativism, the arguments don't support the conclusion. If it was something else, I've no idea what you're trying to say.
Of course you don't understand because I'm not using your approved lingo.
I had a good laugh watching you go from trying to use plain language, and then jumping to 'moral relativism.'
I'm sorry, did you need me to keep talking like you're five?
Laughing harder now.
You are unable to articulate your position without resorting to lingo, then try to cover up with a lame joke.
You've proven my point twice. First that 'the lesser evil' is a valid option and then when you showed you were dependent on lingo to make your points.
Let me know what part of that you fail to understand.