Among theologians and philosophers, it has the more specific meaning of a profound evil committed consciously and of free will.
Endless possibility can be overwhelming, leading man to grasp at anything, distracting and busying himself, in order to not have to make a real, committed choice.
The second stage of evil is 'wickedness,' when caprice is embraced as a deformed substitute for genuine will and becomes characteristic.
The term -ness is a word forming element denoting action, quality or state and is typically added to an adjective or past participle to make it an abstract noun.
Theorists believe that if men were the wicked ones in the equation then the solution to the issues at stake would be ethical improvement.
In contrast, to moral wickedness where people will be sympathetic to the victim of the person who committed the wicked behavior.