On the Nature of Evil

[Glorelendil]

Read Hobbes, Locke, Aquinas, Milton, Nietzsce if you want a thorough examination of evil.

You could add Spinoza to the list, but you might end up trying to hug the orcs. "Here, have the One Ring as a token of my friendship..."

[Glorelendil]

Quite interesting thread!

About Radagast, I have always imagine that after trying hard to help the Free Peoples, they let him down big time (maybe leading to his capture and torture by some great evil which would explain his eccentric personality or leading to the destruction of the Mannish settlement of Rhosgobel). Then he would focus in the protection of plants and animals because they are also in danger and they have proven to be more trustworthy than Men. Then, he would fail because lack of perseverance but he wouldn't fall to evil.

Regarding the Orc babies thing, I think is quite clear they will grow up to be "enemies" (unless the PCs want to raise them and teach them to be good which is theoritecally posible because they are not inherently evil). Role-playing Middle-earth characters, I think some of them would kill them because they have suffered much at the hands of Orcs and these would be no different. But I think it would worth some Shadow points (after all killing a defenseless enemy doesn't sound heroic at all).

I can't wait until the copyrights on all this stuff expire...the opportunities for high quality derivative fiction abound.

How great would a novel (or three) about Radagast be?

Unless, of course, the U.S. leads the way on extending copyright yet again.