It would be ideal if we could achieve all of our goals without participating in, or sponsoring ethically questionable actions. It would be ideal if we did not ever need to make choices trading one bad outcome for a lesser bad outcome. It is this ethical gray area that conspiracy theorists love. How do we justify doing something that is unethical, to avoid a bad outcome or “to ensure a greater good”.

Recently we heard about an Iranian nuclear scientist who was assassinated. We don’t know by whom – it is likely that it was a US or Israeli governments intelligence community covert operation. Both the US and Israel have national interest at stake in keeping Iran from exerting greater influence in the middle east region, and Iran’s influence is clearly on the rise.

Governments and rulers of nations have been engaged in doing some bad things to ensure the “greater good” for as long as their have been governments and rulers. And it is not just political assassination, but it is taxation, it is putting down protest, it is causing harm to its own citizens, it is engaging in foreign war or other covert military operations. Sometimes it is causing bad things to happen to the citizens of another nation to apply pressure to their government and rulers. This, effectively is how economic sanctions work. The idea is that you take people who are already under an oppressive regime, and you give them a reason for rebellion and revolt, by taking away the little that they already have. Continue reading →