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.)

 

[James Gasik]

Fair enough. They are still not powered by the negative plane and don't have the drive to murder like normal zombies do.

Why wouldn't they be powered by the negative plane? Blighters can also wild shape into undead forms, speak with the dead, and animate dead animals, and can cast desecrate, which imbues an area with negative energy.

 

[Maxperson]

Why wouldn't they be powered by the negative plane? Blighters can also wild shape into undead forms, speak with the dead, and animate dead animals, and can cast desecrate, which imbues an area with negative energy.

That was specifically spore druids which don't use the negative plane. The spores animate the body, like spores animate those zombie ants here in the real world.

 

[James Gasik]

That was specifically spore druids which don't use the negative plane. The spores animate the body, like spores animate those zombie ants here in the real world.

Oh ok, as I was, then.

 

[Vaalingrade]

The negative energy plane itself isn't inherently hostile. There's nothing about negative energy to explain the 'wants to kill everything' aside from bad writing.

 

[Kurotowa]

That was specifically spore druids which don't use the negative plane. The spores animate the body, like spores animate those zombie ants here in the real world.

The Spore Druid is a crying shame. There's a great conceptual niche for a "decay and fungus" themed Druid, and the Spore Druid does a terrible job of it. Mechanically it's a mess and thematically it's rooted in that Ravnica faction so the cosmology is all different. I'd love for them to take a do-over on the idea, like they did with Undead Warlock replacing Undying Warlock.

 

[Necropolitan]

It's not canon but The Tome of Necromancy did a great job of exploring the moral implications and possibilities of Necromancy.

Moral Option 1: The Crawling Darkness​

Many DMs will choose to have Negative Energy in general, and undead in particular, be inherently Evil. So much so that we can capitalize it: Evil. And say it again for emphasis: Evil. That means that when you cast a negative energy wave you are physically unleashing Evil onto the world. When you animate a corpse, you are creating a being whose singular purpose is to make moral choices which are objectionable on every level.

That’s a big commitment. It means that anyone using Inflict Wounds is an awful person, at least while they are doing it. The Plane of Negative Energy is in this model the source of all Evil, more so than the Abyss or Hell. It’s Evil without an opinion, immorality in its purest most undiluted form.

Moral Option 2: Playing with Fire​

Many DMs will choose to have Negative Energy be a base physical property of the magical universe that the D&D characters live in – like extremes of Cold or Fire it is inimical to life, and it is ultimately no more mysterious than that. An animate skeleton is more disgusting and frightening to the average man than is a stone golem, but it’s actually a less despicable act in the grand scheme of things because a golem requires the enslavement of an elemental spirit and a skeleton has no spirit at all.

The Plane of Negative Energy in this model is precisely the same as all the other elemental planes: a dangerous environment that an unprotected human has no business going to.

 

[Gradine]

I don't think the quote is saying the same thing if you change it from a comparison of a lesser evil to a greater evil to a comparison of an evil that you prefer to a good that you prefer less. It is no longer a lesser evil.

""For the lesser evil can be seen in comparison with the greater evil as a good, since this lesser evil is preferable to the greater one, and whatever preferable is good."
-Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics"

""For the lesser evil can be seen in comparison with the greater evil[a good] as a good, since this lesser evil is preferable [to you] to the greater one[good], and whatever preferable is good."
-Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics"

Oh good, for a second there I thought Aristotle had actually made a good point, once. Good to know he's actually just as wrong as always.