Two views on political lesser evil

FRANCISCO GARCÍA GIBSON

Filosofia Unisinos

Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos

Lugar: São Leopoldo; Año: 2018 vol. 19

1984-8234

In this article I argue that doing the lesser evil in politics is always permitted and even required. I call this view pragmatism. I defend it against purism, which claims that it is never permissible to do (the lesser) evil. I reject three arguments for purism, which are based on Alan Gewirth?s principle of intervening action, on an alleged epistemic difference between doing and allowing evil, and on rule consequentialism. I also address Terrance McConnell and Thomas Hill Jrs attempts to constrain pragmatism by claiming that doing the lesser evil is not always permitted or required. Although this may be true of most spheres of action, I contend that it is not true about political action.