deo-Christian principles, holds that the human being is free to pursue his own ends in whatever way he chooses, subject to the laws of society and the laws of God.
This means that though man might be inherently good, might have God dwelling within, he is still a free agent, free to choose whether to exercise that inherent goodness or to pursue an evil way of life. God may implant goodness in the heart, mind and soul of an individual, but he is free to choose to ignore that goodness. Society is waiting to punish the evildoer, and, if the Judeo-Christian view is correct, God allows that same individual to pursue his evil ways straight to hell.
Clearly, both Chinese and North American philosophers, and the people in general, are subject to social and civil and criminal restrictions and laws, so that it would be too simplistic to say that man is inherently good and that that means that he will think and act according to that inherent goodness. If "inherent goodness" meant that man would behave according to that goodness without any guidance or coercion of any sort, then no society --- North American, Chinese, or any other society --- would need customs, traditions, mores, laws or any other sort of pressure or suggestions with respect to behavior. It is not enough, then, to say that either Chinese or North American philosophers or people see man as inherently good.
Every Western philosopher --- leadi
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