Quote Originally Posted by Eldonauran View Post
I reject the proposition that unlife is equally valuable or more valuable because I take a much broader look at the situation than you seem to. As a cheap source of labor, mindless undead may be more efficient or profitable, but the only real thing of value an undead can possess is intelligence and sentience. Otherwise they are no more valuable than draft animals, and cheaper to upkeep.

Undeath has always been frowned upon in the D&D universe and there is a lot of disagreement from all sorts of different people about why, but it all boils down to the conflict between positive and negative energy, and the effects of undeath on the soul of a mortal creature. If all you focus on is the side of life that takes place on the Material realm, undeath seems a win-win situation, especially if you get to escape the consequences of what the afterlife brings. And this escape is usually a big driving force for why Evil beings tend to surrender or go out of their way to avoid their own death. They have a reason to be frightened of what awaits them.
There is a good reason to not turn people into undead: you could be turning them into undying instead and undyings are usually smarter and kinder and also does not makes the world a place more full of negative energy.