I will briefly explain the understanding of Dionysius the Areopagite.
Everything that exists is good and love. For if this is not the case, then why was it created? Is it possible to create something from evil?
If evil exists, then it is part of good and love. In other words, it is good, but to a lesser extent, in a smaller mass, compared to good.
What if evil is the absence of good, the void, the non-existent? If this were the case, then why does evil exist? It cannot both be and not be.
Therefore, evil is a part of good. Then what is it?
In the current circumstances:
- If good (love, benefit) is absolute, unconditional, perfect, productive, effective, beautiful, and harmonious.
- Then evil is everything that is relative, conditioned, imperfect, insufficiently productive or even fruitless, insufficiently effective, not beautiful or even ugly, and lacking in harmony.
And what is the purpose of evil?
Conditions change. What is absolutely viable today may become conditionally viable or even completely non-viable tomorrow. In order to preserve life as a unified entity, it is necessary to constantly test the compatibility of different individual forms with the current conditions by comparing them with each other.
Wolves have to chase deer, and deer have to run away from wolves. And this is necessary in order to identify and remove the weak in constantly changing conditions, and leave the strongest and hardiest among both wolves and deer.
In other words, for the sake of preserving life itself, it is necessary that the struggle between good and evil does not stop. For what is evil today may become good tomorrow. And living forms just have to figure it out and solve it.
There is no so-called pure evil. If something is evil, it is simply not viable under the current conditions.
