Inherent evil?

[Bill Ferny]

Greyhavener,

If we assume that potency resides in a thing according to its nature, potency as understood as moving toward that thing’s perfection, then we can assume that the existence of such a potency does indeed indicate an intent for a thing to reach its highest form of act or perfection, according to its nature. Do we have the potency for evil? No, because evil by its definition is a lack of perfection, a lack of Being. Human beings possess only the potency for good, the perfection of their natures as such. What is evil, is when human beings do not reduce potency to act, or act contrary to their natures.

Good and evil then, in the moral sense, is an act of will or choice. It is good when our wills are ordered according to our natures, when our wills are bent on fulfilling our potency according to the “intent” of our natures. It is evil when our wills are ordered in discord with our natures, when our wills are bent on “intents” contrary to our natures. So evil, in and of itself, on the moral level, is indeed an act of will, but one contrary to the predestination or fate that is inherent in our natures.