Do good ends justify bad means?

In 2007 Hank said he didn't know whether it would be okay to kill baby Hitler. By 2017 he no longer counted an idea as good if it required defying his values or ethics, however good the end. In 2023 he said doing harm on purpose matters, though part of him thinks it shouldn't.

Axis: yes, outcomes justify means ... no, means matter in themselves

Positions by date: 5 records in 5 videos. shift and revise mean the position moved; tension — disagreement with the other speaker.

Hank

date	how	position	video
2007-05-11	first on record	Hank says he doesn't know whether it would be okay to kill baby Hitler, since he is just a baby.	May 11th: Heroes 00:02:03
2017-02-24	shift	Hank says he jumped off that train: he no longer counts an idea as good if it requires defying his values or ethics, however good the end or the money it could bring.	Doing Bad Things To Make Good Things Happen 00:02:47
2023-10-04	refine	Hank says US carbon dioxide emissions already cause death and suffering, but incidentally, not on purpose; doing it on purpose matters, though part of him thinks it shouldn't.	A Messy and Unhinged Introduction to Geoengineering 00:06:45
2024-03-08	restate	Hank says that for who he is and what he does he must attempt a very strong alliance to the truth.	I Believed These Four Lies 00:09:26
2025-02-07	restate	Hank says there are two ways to see this: either ignoring the Constitution is fine when your side does it, or it is the unacceptable action of people too weak, politically or in character, to govern.	What Trump's Doing 00:04:16

Background

date	how	position	video
2007-05-14	background	John playfully says he tends to side with those who would go back and kill baby Hitler. (playful, hedged)	Brotherhood 2.0: May 14: The Evil Baby Orphanage 00:00:40