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I don't use the concept of evil in my thinking -- I find it impractical and unnecessary to explain things that people consider acts of "evil." It also promotes a dehumanization of others that can lead to perpetual cycles of aggression.
Most "evil" things, I feel, are caused by one or a combination of ambition, greed, misunderstanding of doctrines, and moral disengagement (moral justification, displacing responsibility, distorting the consequences of one's actions). Sadism sometimes plays a role but I see that as a purely psychological phenomenon, caused either by social learning or some sort of neural dysfunction.
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