Absolutely Evil

[Aiwendil]

I take the point, but this begs another question - was Eru's original vision - Arda Unmarred - 'Perfect'? If it can be surpassed by Arda Envinyanta, then it was imperfect, but how could Eru's vision be less than perfect, given it is Eru's vision?

Not necessarily. That a thing is perfect does not necessarily mean that it is better than all other things. For example, I think that Mozart's 41st symphony is just about as nearly "perfect" as any piece of music can be. But I think that Beethoven's 5th symphony is better - more imperfect, but better.

But I don't think that the question of whether the posited relations of Arda Unmarred, Arda Marred, and Arda Healed are possible need be entered into. It seems quite clear to me that, whatever our views, Tolkien at least believed that such things made sense. I would've thought that, as a member of the "Author's Intention" party, you would take Tolkien's word and leave it at that . . .