Evil

Evil, in a general context, is taken as the absence or complete opposite of that which is ascribed as being good. Often, evil is used to denote 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. In cultures with Manichaean and 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 the context of computing, evil simply describes that which is harmful to accomplishing goals that are considered important. A virus could be considered evil, for example, for destroying data. Microsoft could be considered evil because of the downsides of proprietary software whose adoption becomes so widespread that it is difficult to avoid using, and having to obey the licensing terms of.

Sex offenders are sometimes described as evil either because their thoughts are sinful (religious perspective), or their actions are harmful to others (utilitarian perspective) or contrary to the individual organism's purpose of survival and reproduction (e.g. in the case of a paraphilia).

Civil libertarians might view government restrictions on consensual sex as evil, on the other hand. See axis of evil.