Article February 7, 1983 ISSUE

Eradicating amoral evil

MARGUERITE E. BUTTNER

When habits or beliefs are obviously wrong and we fear their consequences, we are apt to fight hard to eradicate them. Less obvious wrongs and ones that seem to have no undesirable consequences are more apt to be left uncorrected. For that reason what might be considered amoral evils can be as pernicious to individual and collective integrity as blatant immorality.

Sometimes whole societies have accepted practices such as theft, adultery, or murder as normal; more generally, white lies, greed, selfishness, sensuality, ruthlessness, establish themselves as accepted amoralities. "That's life," people sigh, as though the consequences could be ignored.

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