D&D 5E Why is animate dead considered inherently evil?

[Tolerable Tyrant]

I'm having a troublesome time understanding why the animate dead spell is considered evil. When I read the manual it states that the spall imbues the targeted corpse with a foul mimicry of life, implying that the soul is not a sentient being who is trapped in a decaying corpse. Rather, the spell does exactly what its title suggests, it only animates the corps. Now of course one could use the spell to create zombies that would hunt and kill humans, but by that same coin, they could create a labor force that needs no form of sustenance (other than for the spell to be recast of course). There have also been those who have said "the spell is associated with the negative realm which is evil", however when you ask someone why the negative realm is bad that will say "because it is used for necromancy", I'm sure you can see the fallacy in this argument.

However, I must take into account that I have only looked into the DnD magic system since yesterday so there are likely large gaps in my knowledge. PS(Apon further reflection I've decided that the animate dead spell doesn't fall into the school of necromancy, as life is not truly given to the corps, instead I believe this would most likely fall into the school of transmutation.) PPS(I apologize for my sloppy writing, I've decided I'm feeling too lazy to correct it.)

 

[Cadence]

Since they're apparently not mindless now, just slap them and tell them you're in charge.

Why are you resorting to violence instead of just trying to reason with them!?!?! Talk about evil!!

 

[Maxperson]

Why are you resorting to violence instead of just trying to reason with them!?!?! Talk about evil!!

You have to deflect the claws and teeth as they're trying to murderize you somehow. Otherwise you'll never get a word in.

 

[Cadence]

You have to deflect the claws and teeth as they're trying to murderize you somehow. Otherwise you'll never get a word in.

Levitate and a megaphone?

 

[James Gasik]

I'm going to suggest what my manager suggested to me when I told her my crew didn't want to listen. "Have you tried candy? You'd be surprised how well it works!"

 

[Mort]

I'm going to suggest what my manager suggested to me when I told her my crew didn't want to listen. "Have you tried candy? You'd be surprised how well it works!"

Hmm, nice thought. Except to the undead, you ARE the candy!

 

[Vaalingrade]

Why are you resorting to violence instead of just trying to reason with them!?!?! Talk about evil!!

You have your management style, I have mine.

 

[James Gasik]

That's why you should always have 4 or 5 companions at all times. It's handy to have a few spares...

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I mean that sounds more like constructs made out of bones rather than actual skeletons and zombies.

It is possible to posit a society that doesn't have the same concerns about bodily remains that most of us do. Such a society probably would have no issue with body parts animated as constructs or bodies animated like Animate Objects does.
They would still probably have issues with the standard animate dead spell however: remember how dangerous skeletons and zombies would be to the average group of commoners.

You could introduce a homebrewed animate dead spell that creates neutrally-aligned undead, which just stand and do nothing when uncontrolled rather than seeking out and murdering as many people as they can.

Amusingly enough despite Eberron's general attitude to alignment, undead are one of the very few exceptions (the others being other extraplanar beings: celestials and fiends) where alignment is generally fixed. Animated undead are powered by the plane of Mabar, which is actively inimical to life, and even a free-willed undead is likely to have their empathy eroded away over time.

Ya know I’m actually playing with that in an upcoming adventure for my long-running Eberron game. The BoV Paladin needs to contact her old mentor who became a vampire during the war.

He’s been getting more and more distant from his peers and living family, and the Paladin found out recently that his vampire sire is the same as that of King Kaius (who they learned was a vampire a couple levels ago, along with learning that his grandson is pretending to be Kaius I pretending to be Kaius III), and that this ancient vampire once served the elven house of Vol, and has been steering Erandis Vol since her death and lichdom.

So, the team needs to go deep into the old country of Karrnath, meet with the old mentor, find out where dwells his sire, convince mentor to help them in the Crimson Council, hopefully help him keep what’s left of his humanity, and then go murder an ancient vampire.

 

[Charlaquin]

It's not a question of being good, it's a question of being relatively better than the alternatives.

I have opinions about that, but this is not the place for discussing it,

 

[Lanefan]

14th level necromancers can try to take control of undead.

Cool.

I was thinking more of mechanics that would work for slightly more mortal characters, but if that's all there is then so be it.

I gather, then, that the 1e idea where Evil Clerics could control undead where a Good or Neutral Cleric would instead have turned them has gone by the boards? Pity.