“Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.” These words by Nelson Mandela establish the idea that through education, society can be changed for the better. Education is usually thought of as a tool to help you learn how to have a great career, but it's much more than that. Education is the solution to many of the world's problems, as well as domestic problems. Most philosophers in history would agree with Nelson Mandela. They would say that with education you can change. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Confucian philosopher Hsün Tzu argues that with education you can change your innate behavior to become a “gentleman.” While the famous American orator Frederick Douglass would say that with education one can free oneself. Hsün Tzu was born around the 6th century BC in China. Which at that time was the warring states period in China. States fought against each other and started wars with each other. Hsün Tzu grew up in a time of war and fighting which likely influenced his philosophy and views on human nature. Hsün Tzu believes that human beings are evil by nature and that if they do not try to change they will continue to be evil. Tzu says we should always try to change to make ourselves better people. In Encouraging Learning, Hsün Tzu states: “If wood is pressed against a straightening table, it can be made straight; if you put metal on the grindstone, it can be sharpened; and if the gentleman studies extensively and daily examines himself, his wisdom will become clear and his conduct will be impeccable.” Here Hsün Tzu is saying that if you study and learn you can change your natural instincts. You must become virtuous and to do so you need rigorous training and devotion. It won't happen without effort, as he says in his quote comparing education to wood. Education is learning, and Hsün Tzu believed that learning will never stop and that you should never stop. You always learn and you can always change yourself through hard work, through discipline. Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in 1800. Douglass suffered harsh mistreatment and, as a slave, learned to read and write in secret. He went from slave to orator and statesman. Douglass does not believe that people are naturally evil as Hsün Tzu believes. He knew that not all people are born bad, like his master's mistress who was the one who taught him to read. His experiences and upbringing influence his philosophy and he believes that there are some actions that make someone cruel, such as slavery. While Frederick Douglass may have agreed with Hsün Tzu that with an education you can better yourself, Douglass also believes that with an education you can free yourself from oppression. In Learning to Read, Douglass says, “In this dialogue, the whole argument for slavery was made by the master, all of which was eliminated by the slave. The slave was made to say some very clever and impressive things in response to his master, things which had the desired, if unexpected, effect; for the conversation resulted in the voluntary emancipation of the slave by the master.” This suggests that Frederick Douglass believes that through education you can be freed from oppression, and in his case, slavery. Education is very powerful, as demonstrated in the quote above. Through knowledge, the slave was freed because if you have knowledge you have the power to help you resist and fight against those who oppress you. Hsün Tzu believes that the purpose of education is to become.