Opinion

Why we split the world into good and evil — and make decisions we regret

Humans carve the world cleanly in two when they feel threatened. There’s a right and a wrong, a good and an evil, an us and a them. In normal times, this behavior is most obvious in people with serious depression or borderline personality disorder. Psychologists call it “splitting.”

These days, we see a lot of splitting by all kinds of people, from students to senators. “This fight is barbarism against civilization, good versus evil,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said after the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. “The differences between the two sides are as stark as darkness and light.”