I think the error may be raising the bar to the point of making it a dichotomy, where you are either a saint, or you're evil incarnate, and because being a saint is effectively impossible, the choices are knowingly being evil or being an evil hypocrite.

That is entirely the problem. This false dichotomy is a predicate for the Hacker News “well I may as well sell myself to Facebook or Raytheon and make bank” mindset. In my experience, this does not reflect how people think in the wider world. Well, people privileged enough to be able to take ethics into consideration when choosing employment.

In his "The Myth of Sisyphus" he explores whether suicide is a reasonable response to an absurd existence and concludes that it is not. "The "Rebel" explores whether murder is acceptable and concludes, in a less black and white manner, that it also is not. You've got your books and conclusions wrong.

Thanks, guess I'll have to re-read. By "one solution is suicide" I perhaps should have said, "one option is suicide" - I know Camus doesn't think suicide is a reasonable option.