Depends on who is writing the book. To explain further, the statement that something is evil is made from inherently subjective opinion. A universal definition of a particular behavior, concept or idea is not available. Always there is someone with a different, even if decadent point of view. Having said that,.so what. In practical terms, there is evil that can be defined as such by 99.999 per cent of the population, that's enough for me.

Evil exists. It called tRump

Actually,the question I posed is pretty much philosophical or theoretical. I do believe there is such a thing as evil. I believe things like leaving dogs on the side of the road, rape, war, genocide, harming or injuring people or animals for no good reason, and many other things, as evils. And charity work, not stealing, hard work, honesty, etc. are goods. But many philosophers have argued that perhaps literally everything we know -- our sense perceptions and all our ideas, exist entirely in our heads, our own minds, and that that this all of which we are directly aware. Thus, the idea of evil exists in our minds. This question and others concerning what we can know of the external world are discussed in the first two or three chapters in a book titled "Guide to Philosophy" by C.E.M. Joad. (I just give this reference to show that these ideas are not solely my own).

I consider ethical values or beliefs are what largely make our lives worth living and key to people living together in society and treating each other decently. Some behavior is good for people, animals, or the world; other behavior is bad, harmful, or destructive. My question simply had to do with whether right and and wrong exist outside our own minds or entirely within our thoughts or minds, as well some of what many philosophers think about. I apologize for this comment being very long, but it was difficult for me to explain this more briefly.

There is right and wrong. We all know the difference and morality means acting on this appropriately. As far as evil is concerned, as an entity used as a noun, no I don’t think it does exist. When heinous acts are committed by man or nation states we need strong words to describe how we feel about them and then, used as an adjective, evil can certainly be an appropriate word to use.

Good and "evil" exist, yes. If I help your family, you would call me good. If I hurt your family, you would call me bad.
I don't like the word "evil". It's a very religious word, used by religious folks to describe things they don't like. But there definitely are good and bad morals, yes?

I don't believe in Absolute Morality, that is, one grounded in an Absolute Being. But I do believe in an objective morality that is grounded in the well-being of the human race.

If you kill 12 million people like Adolf Hitler, you are pure evil. If you kill a Bengal tiger, you are pure evil.

In my perception, good and evil exist. They can exist with or without religion. I think it is natural that humans want a code of behavior. For me, the code of behavior is to find the balance between the rights of the larger group and the rights of the individual.

Ooooo, good question. I think morals can exist outside of religion. Most of it by exercising respect.