In that case, good and evil are not present in things at all. "They are only in your mind. Following the Principle of Nature is good, while perturbing the vital force is evil." "After all, then, things are devoid of good and evil?" "This is true of the mind. It is also true of things. Famous but mediocre scholars fail to realize this. They neglect the mind and chase after material things, and consequently get a wrong view of the way to investigate things. All day long they restlessly seek principle in external things. They only succeed in getting at it by incidental deeds of righteousness. All their lives they act in this way without understanding it and act habitually without examination.

(Wang Yangming)