Tolkien created a world where "free will" existed "within bounds". I find it absurd for someone to argue that Melkor acted absolutely within the realm of "free will" and absent any predestined direction from the top, so to speak. Eru was the planner. From his mind sprung the Ainur (the activators of the plan). Had Melkor not sowed discord and "revealed" (not created) evil... what kind of world would Middle-earth (or any other world for that matter) have been? Let's see... good, good, good, good, good...... nothing but good.
I disagree with a previous poster who stated that Eastern Philosphy is not present in Tolkien's works. I think yin and yang dominate Tolkien's works just as the dominate the Christian world (albeit unknowingly to most Christians). Eru created the potential for evil in Melkor so that all the testing that must go on in the Human/Elf/Dwarf/Hobbit/Orc/ experience would lead to the betterment of one's existence/soul/race etc.
A world without evil = a world without soul.
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