The Three Rings were not made by Sauron you know?
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But Celebrimbor was aware of him, and hid the Three which he had made; and there was war, and the land was laid wate, and the gate of Moria are shut.
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You know, when you come to think of it, the battle between Evil and Good is not really absurd, just absurdly difficult to comprehend in these days of labels and suggestions. I do not doubt that in Prof T's days, there had been sufficient propagandas and fanatism. Yet the professor was sufficiently acute to define his version of Evil, biblical though that sounds.
Let's take Melkor, the original Satan:
1. Proud? Yes, pride had been the fall of many more historical men. If pride is not a vice, than I can't think of much else to describe what is evil. Melkor was the greatest of the Valar, and is full of pride.
2. Envy? Othello, anyone? Melkor was envious of his peers for creating wonderful stuff on Arda. Which brings the next vice.
3. Malice. It is written everywhere in the Silmarillion and the LOTR and even some sections of the Hobbit. Acts of malice are caused by envy and hatred. Approval for acts of malice is also an act of malice.
4. Greed and Lust. Melkor is a Jewel thief and a lecher. Just look at the way he is smitten by Luthien!
5. Treachery. Et Tu, Brute?
If one is to take all these and many others into consideration, Evil is really quite clearly defined here. Sure, you may not be able to find all of these characteristics in a single person, but to be tainted with even one of these characteristics would have made a person unsavory and in some cases, downright wicked. One might argue that this is not realistic, but can any person be honest with himself/herself and say that vices can be good?
Sauron is just as evil. Let me list his vices:
1. Pride. Sauron is P-R-O-U-D. His servants are the embodiment of wicked pride. Look at the Mouth of Sauron.
2. Envy. Sauron is jealous of the Eldar and the Numenorean for being so powerful, and so...
3. Malice. Sauron is known as Gorthaur the Cruel in his remote youth.
4. Greed. No, the world is not enough.
5. Treachery. Like Master, like servant.
Breaking all these down and digesting, one would realise that the servants of Sauron had his characteristics and are therefore E-V-I-L. One does not have to break a written law in order to be evil, and in these days of mass acceptance, it is definitely difficult to pin-point wickedness. This morning I read in the papers that a movie goer felt that LOTR is too two-dimensional. But hey, to be in the so-called 'grey' area would mean acceptance of some vices. And you know what they say about standing on quicksand...