It is usually used to suggest a moral or ethical hierarchy for two sides in a conflict -- that one is better or worse than the other. The term originates from a 1906 speech "" by William James.
ɪ t WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY j uː ʒ uː ə l i WORD_BOUNDARY j uː z d WORD_BOUNDARY t ə WORD_BOUNDARY s ə d̠ʒ ɛ s t WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY m ɔ ɹ ə l WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ɛ θ ɪ k ə l WORD_BOUNDARY h aɪ ə ɹ ɹ ɑ ɹ k i WORD_BOUNDARY f ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY t uː WORD_BOUNDARY s aɪ d z WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ n WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY k ɑ n f l ɪ k t WORD_BOUNDARY ð æ t w ʌ n WORD_BOUNDARY ɪ z WORD_BOUNDARY b ɛ t ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ɔ ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY w ɜː s WORD_BOUNDARY ð ʌ n WORD_BOUNDARY ð ɪ WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ ð ə ɹ WORD_BOUNDARY ð ə WORD_BOUNDARY t ɜː m WORD_BOUNDARY ə ɹ ɹ ɪ d̠ʒ ɪ n eɪ t s WORD_BOUNDARY f ɹ ʌ m WORD_BOUNDARY ʌ WORD_BOUNDARY n aɪ n t iː n h ʌ n d ɹ ɪ d WORD_BOUNDARY s ɪ k s WORD_BOUNDARY s p iː t̠ʃ WORD_BOUNDARY b aɪ WORD_BOUNDARY w ɪ l j ə m WORD_BOUNDARY d̠ʒ eɪ m z WORD_BOUNDARY