Dichotomies

The dichotomy of good versus evil is both familiar and ambiguous. Perhaps that explains its lasting power to foment allegiance or mistrust without requiring much thought or effort on anyones part - and perhaps that's why it is so often the chosen dichotomy when things get dicy. I submit that the real dichotomy underlying most dicy issues is public ethics versus personal and group values. This is both harder to initially grasp and clearer in definition than good versus evil, because it requires the extra step of asking a fairly simple question. One need only ask whether the resolution acceptable to me would be unilaterally enforced and benefit primarily me and people more like me, or would it be multilaterally determined and accomodate people less like me? If you choose the former, your definition of good versus evil is values based, driven by self-justified enforcement of solutions that benefit you whether or not they fail to accomodate others with different values. If you choose the latter, your definition of good versus evil is ethics based,driven by a desire for fair play regardless of the player. The benefit of examining the ethical question, comes from understanding that civil democracy requires it. The alternative is clubhouse democracy (or worse) that benefits those on the inside and makes life miserable for anyone different.