Buddha once said that “it is a man's mind, not his enemy or foe, that draws him to evil ways.” In my opinion man is intrinsically evil, succumbing to the corruption of human society. I believe that man has the ability to distinguish good from evil based on the factors he has learned from others around him. Since the dawn of time, man has accumulated power through communities, parties, villages, etc. We can infer that man was evil throughout history because of many congregations, rituals and basically the general culture that was prominent before the time of Christ. You might read in many books about the Puritan era where witches were burned because of today's simple version of autocracy. The man would accuse them of witchcraft and have them killed. A great example would be the Salem witch trials. During these trials, it was easy to believe that in 1692, with an Indian War raging less than 70 miles away, that the devil was at hand (Linder). As we move forward in time, we continue to see these events through genocides and massacres. An example would be Hitler's reign and his genocide of the Jewish people. They learn the ways of good and evil through the association of what their family has done. Furthermore, parents have the greatest influence on their children, and children imitate what they see, hear, or accomplish. I believe that man is born evil, but his parents taught him to distinguish good from evil. Man today has the possibility to choose between good and evil. Unfortunately, in today's age, we have built nations that are willing to replace others, which clouds their judgment of what is good or bad. This led to the great famines of man. Man is intrinsically evil due to war, greed and envy. The war created controversies... in the center of the paper... n of the world from Greed: Information Clearing House: ICH. Np, 2012. Web. 09 February 2014. Simone, David. "David Simon: 'Now there are two Americas. My country is a horror show'" The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 8 December 2013. Web. 09 February 2014. Vaknin, San. "The Green-Eyed Capitalist." The green-eyed capitalist. Np, nd Web. 12 February 2014. Glossary of Ancient/Classical History, NS Gill's. "Hera - Queen of the gods in Greek mythology Hera." About.com Ancient/classical history. Np, nd Web. 09 February 2014. HNN Staff. “What is the Difference Between Sunni and Shia Muslims and Why Does It Matter?” Hnn.us. History News Network, May 10, 2005. Web. February 12, 2014. Linder, Douglas. “An Account of the Investigations, Trials, and Aftermath of the Salem Witchcraft." "An Account of the Investigations, Trials, and Consequences of the Salem Witchcraft." Np, nd Web. 10 February. 2014.