Evil is profound immorality. In certain religious contexts
evil has been described as a supernatural force. Definitions of evil vary, as
does the analysis of its root motives and causes. However elements that are
commonly associated with evil involve unbalanced behaviour involving
expediency, selfishness, ignorance, or neglect. In cultures with
Manchaen-Abrahamic religious influence, evil is usually perceived as the
dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good should prevail and evil
should be defeated.
In cultures with
Buddhist spiritual influence, both good and evil are perceived as part of an
antagonistic duality that itself must be overcome through achieving Śūnyatā
meaning emptiness in the sense of recognition of good and evil being two opposing
principles but not a reality, emptying the duality of them, and achieving a
oneness. The philosophical question of whether morality is absolute or relative
leads to questions about the nature of evil, with views falling into one of
four opposed camps: moral absolutism, amoralism, moral relativism, and moral
universalism. While the term is applied to events and conditions without
agency, the forms of evil addressed in this article presume an evildoer or
doers.
