I would take the ‘sting’ out of this whole debate with the following :
We do not live in a one dimensional world .
Yesh bezeh ma she’ein bazeh. And le’hepach.
Sometimes we do need to decide on a one-dimensional course of action.
For example who is first in pidyon shvuyim or birkat hamazon.
But in real “superiority” we will never know.
Rashi Psahim 25B [quoting sanhedrin?] ma hazi dami didach sumek tfei – who can know, who HKBH favors more ?
Even if the other guy is a t’ch . Even if he is gadol hador. Even if he is a Tsadik.
That is the source that retsiha is yehareg veal yaavor.
This is a logical reasoning strong enough to deduct a dinei nefashot psak halaha lema’aseh. [!]
Cf Rambam Hilch Tshuva . Sometimes one avera is shakul neged kama mitsvot. Sometimes the opposite.
No human can make these heshbonot , only Kel Hogeh Dei’ot [gist of Rambams words]
.