does evil exist?

[bennyboy]

You may have goals, but that would be additional to and separate from whatever was necessary.  It makes little sense (logicaly speaking) to aim goals towards or speak of goals as the necessary - as they happen whether you seek them or not.  So, in your example, while heterotrophy may be a necessary evil, going full-on twelve monkeys is not.

That's making assumptions about free will, determinism, etc., no?

Maybe it's inevitable that any species developed enough to have mores will necessarily wipe itself out.