Evils

Evils refer to acts, events, or conditions perceived as profoundly harmful, wrong, or morally condemnable. In everyday language the term covers both moral evil—harm caused by human actions such as murder, exploitation, or oppression—and natural evil—suffering resulting from natural processes such as disease or disasters, where no human intention is involved. Philosophical and theological discussions distinguish these categories to analyze causation, responsibility, and justification for suffering.

Moral evil involves agents with choices and intentions, while natural evil does not require a moral agent. Some theories treat evil as a property of actions or states rather than as a distinct entity. The privation theory, associated with Augustine, holds that evil is the absence or deficiency of good rather than a substantive thing. Other approaches view evil as a real force or as the outcome of competing goods, circumstances, or free will.

The problem of evil asks how to reconcile the existence of evil with beliefs in a benevolent or omnipotent order. Theodicies propose explanations such as the evils being necessary for greater goods, the cultivation of virtue, or the preservation of free will. In secular contexts, evil is often used as a normative judgment about harms, injustice, or violations of rights, and it figures prominently in law, psychology, literature, and political discourse.

Because the term carries moral weight and cultural variance, definitions of evil are contested and evolving, reflecting ethical theories, religious commitments, and social norms.