New Delhi, April 17 -- "No man chooses evil because it is evil; he only mistakes it for happiness, the good he seeks."

The quote, frequently linked to Mary Shelley, reflects a core philosophical idea: that human beings tend to rationalise their actions as justified, even when those actions produce harmful outcomes.

However, the attribution is often debated. The idea aligns more closely with the work of Mary Wollstonecraft, whose writings explored how flawed reasoning and social conditioning shape human behaviour.

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) was a moral and political philosopher whose analysis of women's position in society remains influential. Her work formed part of a broader effort...