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Originally Posted by obloquy
Or was the impotent spirit that Sauron would become (since we know no spirit could be wholly destroyed except by Eru) enough to keep the Ring's malice persistent?
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That's my reading of what Tolkien is saying. Which, in a way, makes the creation of the Ring a "win-win" scenario for Sauron, doesn't it? At least until the final battle.
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Originally Posted by obloquy
It occurs to me now that Tolkien was not saying Gandalf would be corrupted to evil, but that Gandalf would be capable of too much good. He would direct his subjects according to his superior wisdom--for their own good, of course--and in this way he would deprive them of their free will.
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But isn't that evil by another name? If it is undesirable to those (good people) affected by it, imposed on them by force and, most importantly, contrary to the will of Eru (denial of free will), then surely it falls within Tolkien's conception of evil.