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{{wikipedia|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]].

Voting for the lesser evil is an example of [[compromising]].

==Origin==
{{expand section|date=August 2021}}
The maxim existed already in Platonic philosophy.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rol0ALf2AGoC&pg=PA22|title=Moral Dilemmas in Medieval Thought: From Gratian to Aquinas|isbn=9781139501439|last1=Dougherty|first1=M. V.|date=14 April 2011}}</ref> 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 ''Ethics'', Spinoza states the following maxim:<ref>{{cite book|first=Benedict|last=de Spinoza|author-link=Benedict de Spinoza|title=Ethics|chapter=Of Human Bondage or of the Strength of the Affects|translator-first=W.H.|translator-last=White|orig-year=1677|year=2017|publisher=[[Penguin Classics]]|location=New York|asin=B00DO8NRDC|page=424}}</ref><blockquote>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."</blockquote>

==In modern elections==
In 2012, ''Huffington Post'' columnist Sanford Jay Rosen stated that the idea became common practice for left-leaning voters in the [[United States]] due to their overwhelming disapproval of the United States government's support for the Vietnam War.<ref name="hufevil">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sanford-jay-rosen/obama-reelection_b_1913745.html|author=Stanford Jay Rosen|title= Don't Get Fooled Again: Why Liberals and Progressives Should Vote Enthusiastically for President Obama|publisher=Huffington Post|date=2012-09-25|access-date=2013-03-23}}</ref> Rosen stated: "Beginning with the [[1968 United States presidential election|1968 presidential election]], I often have heard from liberals that they '''could not vote''' for the lesser of two evils. Some said they would not vote; some said they would vote for a third-party candidate. That mantra delivered us to Richard Nixon in [[1972 United States presidential election|1972]] until Watergate did him in. And it delivered us to [[George W. Bush]] and [[Dick Cheney]] in [[2000 United States presidential election|2000]] until they were termed out in 2009".<ref name="hufevil" /> 

In the [[2016 United States presidential election]], both major candidates of the major parties — [[Hillary Clinton]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]]) and [[Donald Trump]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]]) — had disapproval ratings close to 60% by August 2016.<ref name="washpostdislike">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/08/31/a-record-number-of-americans-now-dislike-hillary-clinton/|author=Aaron Blake|title=A record number of Americans now dislike Hillary Clinton|newspaper=Washington Post|date=2016-08-31|access-date=2016-08-31}}</ref> Green Party candidate [[Jill Stein]] invoked this idea in her campaign stating, "Don't vote for the lesser evil, fight for the greater good".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gq.com/story/jill-stein-green-party-interview | title=Meet Jill Stein, the Other Anti-Establishment Progressive Running for President | date=26 May 2016 }}</ref> Green Party votes hurt Democratic chances in 2000 and 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241583809|title=Did Ralph Nader Spoil Al Gore's Presidential Bid? A Ballot-Level Study of Green and Reform Party Voters in the 2000 Presidential Election|accessdate=30 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/20/democrats-shrug-off-potential-green-party-spoiler-in-2020-329170 | title=Jill Stein cost Hillary dearly in 2016. Democrats are still writing off her successor | website=[[Politico]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/12/1/13811344/jill-stein-clinton-trump-nader-spoiler | title=Green Party candidate Jill Stein got more votes than Trump's victory margin in 3 key states | date=December 2016 }}</ref> Accordingly, the lesser evil principle can 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."<ref>"[https://open.lib.umn.edu/americangovernment/chapter/10-6-minor-parties/ 10.6 Minor Parties]," ''American Government and Politics in the Information Age,'' [[University of Minnesota]], 2011.</ref>

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 [[2002 French presidential election]] graffiti in Paris told people to "vote for the crook, not the fascist". The "crook" in those scribbled public messages was [[Jacques Chirac]] of [[Rally for the Republic]] and the "fascist" was [[Jean-Marie Le Pen]] of the [[National Front (France)|National Front]]. Chirac eventually won the second round having garnered 82% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.economist.com/node/1109370 |title=Chirac's new challenge |publisher=The Economist |date=2002-05-06 |access-date=2011-04-15}}</ref>

The principle of "the lesser of two evils" is sometimes jokingly changed to "the evil of two lessers", such as in the titles of these articles about the US presidential elections of [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]<ref name="LAT1988-09-18-01a">{{cite news |last=Schneider |first=William |author-link=Bill Schneider (journalist) |date=18 September 1988 |title=THE EVIL OF TWO LESSERS |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-09-18-op-3101-story.html |access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref> and [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]].<ref name="JP2016-11-06-01a">{{cite news |last=Keinon |first=Herb |author-link=Herb Keinon |date=6 November 2016 |title=Clinton vs. Trump: 'The evil of two lessers' |publisher=[[Jerusalem Post]] |url=https://www.jpost.com/us-elections/clinton-vs-trump-the-evil-of-two-lessers-471799 |access-date=12 September 2020}}</ref>

==Mythology==
"''Between Scylla and Charybdis''" is an idiom derived from Homer's ''Odyssey''. In the story, Odysseus chose to go near Scylla as the lesser of two evils. He lost six of his companions, but if he had gone near Charybdis all would be doomed. Because of such stories, having to navigate between the two hazards eventually entered idiomatic use. Another equivalent English seafaring phrase is "Between a rock and a hard place".<ref>Definition from the ''Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English'' [http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/Scylla-and-Charybdis available online]</ref> The Latin line ''incidit in scyllam cupiens vitare charybdim'' ("he runs into Scylla, wishing to avoid Charybdis") had earlier become proverbial, with a meaning much the same as  [[W:Jumping from the frying pan into the fire|jumping from the frying pan into the fire]]. Erasmus recorded it as an ancient proverb in his ''Adagia'', although the earliest known instance is in the ''Alexandreis'', a 12th-century Latin epic poem by Walter of Châtillon.<ref>Noted by [[Edward Charles Harington]] in [https://books.google.com/books?id=7mIEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA10 ''Notes and Queries'' 5th Series, '''8''' (7 July 1877:14)].</ref>

==See also==
*[[Dilemma]]
*[[W:False dilemma|False dilemma]]
*[[Minimax]]
*[[W:Necessary evil|Necessary evil]]
*[[W:Two wrongs make a right|Two wrongs make a right]]
*[[W:Trolley problem|Trolley problem]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lesser Of Two Evils}}
[[Category:Political parties]]
[[Category:Political spectrum]]