Do You Want to Do Bad?

Judaism has a sophisticated view of human nature. It unambiguously asserts that we are not born good, but at the same time holds that human beings have, on the one hand, a conscience and a will to do good — the yetzer hatov, and, on the other hand, an urge to do bad — the yetzer harah. As I learned as a child in yeshiva, the two inclinations are at war with one another.

What I have learned as an adult, however, is that the deck is stacked in favor of evil.