Neither Good Nor Evil

History and personal experience both show that although humanity as a whole is not evil, every man is to some degree corrupt. Every man is born with flaws that are an inherent part of his mortal nature. Although these flaws may change in time and in manifestation they never entirely fade away. Every man chooses what to do with the personality given him, but even making mostly good choices doesn't make him, in the most perfect sense, good. This is written into society's core.
No man has ever achieved perfection, either of sin or of virtue. This proves two things:  man is not by nature evil, but he is not either by nature good. Everybody does good things which an evil man would not do, and everybody does evil things which a good man would not do. Nothing has the tendency towards that which is its opposite in nature. Therefore, if we were by nature good or evil we would only do those things which are good or evil.
This is also illustrated by the existence of laws that men put into effect. We make rules to keep us from doing wrong, with punishments put into place to give further incentive away from breaking these rules. If men were inherently good then we wouldn't even imagine a need for these laws. Why would a good people need to be encouraged not to do bad things? Why would there be codes against theft, rape, murder, and other crimes? The making of a society tells much about the people who are a part of that society. Since every group of people has these laws, it is reasonable to assume that all people are in some way inclined to do evil, even though the making of these laws also shows that we care about doing good.
The choices people make reveal who they are. At every moment we gave the opportunity to decide what to do, and thus choose who we are. We are constantly shaped by the decisions we make rather than by our nature. It isn't the result of blind fate. Because it is impossible to deny that we are free to choose, it is impossible to say that we are inherently good or evil. Every man's nature is inclined simply towards what he chooses at any moment.
So, are men inherently good? No. Humanity is sadly flawed. However, that doesn't mean that man is doomed to villainy. What this means is that every man and every woman can always change and improve and throw off old patterns and the old nature. We choose our own fate. We choose our own doom. We choose our own destiny.