But if there is something which Tolkien and his company could offer us by way of insight it is this: the intransigence and persistence of human evil.
Not the human capacity for evil, but the human capacity for good.
But as we reflect today on the human capacity for evil and our shared obligation to defy it, we're also reminded of the human capacity for good.
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Because we believe in human dignity, America and many nations have joined together to confront the evil of trafficking in human beings.
"From today, the Sangatte centre will no longer draw would-be illegal immigrants to northern France and traffickers will no longer be able to use it to ply their evil trade in human life, " Mr Blunkett said.
Perhaps, but watching closely my more spontaneous reactions and half-conscious thoughts, I can't help thinking that I too have a share in the part of human nature that is inclining towards evil.
The Matrix took place in a dark future, where evil machines had enslaved the human race and cocooned them in pods, plugging them into a gigantic virtual reality.
"The Hobbit" is a brilliantly constructed story, unfolding themes that remain all too relevant to the modern world: the nature of evil, the significance of human choice, the corrupting power of greed and the ease with which good people can be drawn into destructive conflict.
For Father Savoldi, the case just confirms his belief in the power of evil to make the most of human weakness.
Reagan believed in both good and evil, but on balance thought free human beings were inclined toward good and became better the freer they were.
"But surely that evil would not pierce the marathon where the best of human endeavor is celebrated, " she wrote.
Is it surprising that in those depths we again found only human qualities which in their very nature were a mixture of good and evil?
Scripture tells us that there is evil in the world, and that terrible things happen for reasons that defy human understanding.
Why was she told by one and all that her normal human impulses to seek love, respect and compassion and think for herself were sinful and evil?
Earlier Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill led the debate on what he called "the most abhorrent and evil practices of which mankind is capable of" - the trafficking of human beings.
One of them, Lord Justice Auld, said female circumcision was an "evil practice" which violates Article 3 (degrading treatment) of the European Convention of Human Rights.
The biggest of these is Under the Sea Journey of the Little Mermaid, where riders sit in clamshell-shaped cars while an animatronic Ariel, her pals Scuttle and Sebastian and the evil Ursula retell of the story of the mermaid princess and her impetuous pursuit of a human prince.
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