“There can be no justification for choosing any part of that which one knows to be evil.”
Source: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism
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Ayn Rand 322
Russian-American novelist and philosopher 1905–1982Related quotes

“To love means to choose one's missing part, with which to confront, respect and complete oneself.”
Original: Amare vuol dire scegliere la propria parte mancante, con cui confrontarsi, rispettarsi e completarsi.
Source: prevale.net
“One social evil for which the New Testament is clearly in part responsible is anti-Semitism.”
Steve Allen on the Bible, Religion, and Morality (1990)

“Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.”

“Wisdom we know is the knowledge of good and evil not the strength to choose between the two.”
The Late Forties and the Fifties, 1956 entry.
The Journals of John Cheever (1991)
Strange Horizons interview (2008)
Context: The Inquisition, by defining and limiting knowledge, was evil. The Taliban, by defining truth and refusing girls an education, is evil. Any religion that says it knows the one and only truth is evil, because it limits knowledge. Any political body that says it owns the truth is evil. Same reason.
Any repressive regime that seeks to control exploration and experimentation is evil. Same reason. Any regime that defines truth as a set of beliefs and occurrences that cannot be questioned, that can neither be demonstrated nor proven is not only evil but ridiculous. This includes all mythologies, miracles, etc. because, if creation happened for a reason, if it was done by God, you'd better believe every part of it, including intelligence, was done for a reason ascertainable, eventually, by intelligence. We would not follow and adore a ruler who lied and tortured. Why would we worship a God who did either? God doesn't lie and he/she/it doesn't fool around!
Shutting down inquiry is evil. Causing pain purposefully for no reason is evil. Enjoying causing pain by shutting down inquiry is an absolute evil.

Existentialism and Human Emotions (1957)