Why do people always think they are right and everyone else is wrong?

Question

Is there even such a thing as being right? Who gets to decide? Please dont say god

The way I see it,nobody can ever be right because to somebody else they will always be wrong. And whats wrong with the left?

Answer 1

People who ALWAYS think they are right have a limited world-view and care not to listen to others.

It's impossible to ALWAYS be right, since so many matters in this world are a matter of opinion and not fact (such as an earlier question posted which asked "which color is better, red or blue?").

Yes, you can be right or wrong when there is a clear, unarguably correct answer (such as Nebraska is currently part of the United States).

Who decides? Anyone who wants to can decide...but whether they're right or not...gets us back to the original question!

Answer 2

The American Philosopher C.S. Peirce (in "On the Fixation of Belief") called it the method of tenacity. It's simple. It's easy. "Ah knows what ah knows, don't bother me with the facts." Of course, deep down such people know their position is untenable, and they live in a constant state of defensiveness. You might also hunt down Eric Hoffer's "The True Believer." Fanatics, whether religious, communist, or union organizer, have a great many common characteristics, chief of which is a desperate need for something to hold on to (which is the root meaning of "tenacious"). Picture someone drowning because he doesn't understand that he can float in water.

Yes, there is such a thing as being right, but you likely won't have any guarantees that you are. Kurt Godel's Incompleteness Theorem at the beginning of the 20th Century proved that in any logical system as complex as arithmetic, there will be true statements that cannot be proved (but there's no way to know which statements those are). Going ahead and acting on the best understanding you've got, knowing there's always a chance that you're wrong -- that's what faith is. It's not a mindless belief in some story or other. It's a willingness to act WITHOUT a guarantee that the story that guides you is absolutely true. That kind of faith is open to new information. It's at the heart of science. It's at the heart of tolerance and compassion. The most beautiful (but mathematically elegant enough in style to turn my wife off) statement of this is James P. Carse's "Finite and Infinite Games." To quote him:

"The joy of infinite play, it's laughter, is in learning to start something you cannot finish."

Answer 3

Well most people assume that they are right & others are wrong because they are more committed to their own beliefs than those of others. Some people are very closed-minded & refuse to entertain ideas that don't match their own. If the majority tends to agree with you, you may feel right but it's only the majority rule, that doesn't necessarily make it right, just a popular belief.

There is such a thing as being right, in many cases. When there is proof, a person can be right. In mathematics for instance: there is a right & a wrong answer. 1+1=2, 3X3=9. You can't really argue that. When someone argues a point about geography you can refer to an atlas (for instance when someone didn't believe me that Egypt was in Africa...) If they argue about the existence of or spelling of a word, you can check the dictionary for proof (a friend didn't believe me that there was such a thing as Legionnaires disease). There are grammar rule books, encyclopedias, countless points of reference on many subjects. These can be seen as the authority & can back up someone who is "right." (& it's a satisfying feeling when you can point to it in a book & prove someone wrong! I love being vindicated this way! "See, there it is! Choke on that!" Tee hee)

For certain subjects however (philosophy, theology, psychology for instance) there are less clear cut answers. There isn't always a right & wrong answer. Only an opinion. How can someone claim to be "right" about things as nebulous & intangible as love or God or the human mind? How can anyone be an authority on things that don't have concrete proof? It's all theory, conjecture, guessing or faith, gut instinct...Who decides? No one can. Everyone just makes up their own minds. Even the so-called experts & geniuses in these fields are still only presenting their point of view. There is no black & white, right & wrong answer.

I have my own views on life, love, God & the human mind, but I don't pretend to be an "authority" on any subject. I do feel that I'm "right" but I'm open to hearing other opinions. If you can debate effectively, sometimes you can convince/convert someone to your point of view. Usually, this doesn't work however, since most people are fairly committed to their beliefs and closed to other ideas.

So to make a long story short (too late! ha ha) yes there is such a thing as being right but not always and people usually think they're right because it's human nature. The most convincing person you'll ever know is yourself! Once you think/believe/feel something, it's right to you...

Answer 4

Although I tend to think that all generalizations are false, I do believe that in general, the following is true.

People can only view facts from their own point of view (a subjective view). Even if they are willing to listen to others, they still must interpet what they are told and their interpetation is based on their own belief systems.

I believe that people tend to be influenced by their parents, their family and other social groups that they belong. Being a member of the group, usually mean adopting at least some of the beliefs that the group shares.

I assume that by right, you mean is there some type of absolute sense of correctness Since I view thing from my own point of view, I can honestly say "I don't know" and I believe that according to my belief system that noone can know if what they believe is right is absolutely right. According to my view, right is more of a notion of preference which is an integral element of all decision problems, one without which no decision can be made.

Since people often have conflicting views, If you want a meaning measure of what is right then you have to set some criteria or metric to use to measure.

There are several different definations to the word "right". 1. "Conforming with or conformable to justice, law, or morality".

I think this is MOJ/O ( a matter of judgement or opinion) , both in what is or should be just, legal or moral, and if someone's action is just, legal or moral.

2. "In accordance with fact, reason, or truth"

People form opinions based on their view of the facts, but often people will ignore facts which do not agree with their beliefs.

3. "Fitting, proper, or appropriate"

MOJ/O (Matter of judgement or opinion).

4. Most favorable, desirable, or convenient

MOJ/O. If you set some criteria, than you can at least measure it.

5. In or into a satisfactory state or condition: as in put things right.

MOJ/O

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To answer your question who gets to decide what is right, think of the question of what is the best answer to your question, the person who ask the question is the person who must make a decision. If you can make a decision, you can decide not to decide, and accept a group's opinion.

Answer 5

everybody must have a certain values that they believe. If not, the world will be full of onfuse human being

You might not be always right, but being right more than 50% of the time is good enough

Answer 6

Yes you can be right, if the evidence is there to support. I think people get to carryed away trying to be right and not listening to other people views on the situation. I think we need to start opening our ears n closing our mouths alitlle n that way we may just get somewhere!

Answer 7

Ego drives possessive thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. To believe that someone else is right and I am wrong requires that I give up something.

Answer 8

When you believe in something, you think your right, and you will agrue with everyone that your right.
We get to decide who is right with the facts or the proofs of whatever happened.

Answer 9

Possibly because if the person is wrong, then this person would be affected negatively

Answer 10

Simply stated...the facts.