Where does evil come from? St. Augustine coined the phrase "inordinate desire" to describe the root of evil, which he identifies as "the desire for something that violates the rightful order of things. Evil is a turning away from immutable goods and a turning toward changeable goods--those that are in the moment. Whence comes this turning away from immutable to changeable goods, unless man, to whom God is the only good, replaces God with himself to be his own good, as God is the Good to Himself?"

"... the idea of moral self-development demands that we take seriously our flawed nature. We are capable of becoming better or worse through our dispositions and choices, and while our dispositions color our choices, our choices can alter our dispositions." (p.103,104,118 The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy)