There are some who imagine that an innate sense of human dignity will
prevent man from committing evil actions and insure his spiritual and material
perfection. That is, that an individual who is characterized with natural
intelligence, high resolve, and a driving zeal, will, without any consideration
for the severe punishments consequent on evil acts, or for the great rewards of
righteousness, instinctively refrain from inflicting harm on his fellow men and
will hunger and thirst to do good. And yet, if we ponder the lessons of
history it will become evident that this very sense of honor and dignity is
itself one of the bounties deriving from the instructions of the Prophets of
God. We also observe in infants the signs of aggression and lawlessness, and
that if a child is deprived of a teacher’s instructions his undesirable
qualities increase from one moment to the next. It is therefore clear that the
emergence of this natural sense of human dignity and honor is the result of
education. Secondly, even if we grant for the sake of the argument that
instinctive intelligence and an innate moral quality would prevent wrongdoing,
it is obvious that individuals so characterized are as rare as the
philosopher’s stone. An assumption of this sort cannot be validated by mere
words, it must be supported by the facts. Let us see what power in creation
impels the masses toward righteous aims and deeds!
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