How can you tell what is truly "right" and wrong"??

Question

Okay, I have wondered this, and never found a complete answer: how can you truly know what is right and wrong? I mean, how do we have a conscious? How do we even know that our actions are truly "the right thing to do''? I mean, the fact that we've been taught certain actions and principles are the right is most likely a main chunk of the reason, but how else?? I know it can't be due to any religious reasons....

Good answers, everyone. that does seem to hold true, it seems we can't truly know what is "right or wrong", but look to history, society, emotion, instinct, and what appears to cause the least pain to determine that. I don't believe, however, that a god or spirit has anything to do with it. I recieved an answer, earlier, that stated that the part of life's meaning is to cause the most pleasure and least pain as possible, and I guess that is part of what determines right from wrong, as well. Does anyone know of any philosophical quotes that pertain to this question?

Still, though, we occasionally feel good after doing bad, it has happened.

Answer 1

There is no absolute, but your right and wrong compass is based on your upbringing, circumstances, morality, hardwiring, and even religious beliefs. Even if you aren't religious, if your grandparents were and told your parents their moral codes, those same codes were passed down to you and so on. Your right and wrong will always differ from others who were raised differently or who have different circumstances than you do. Such as, I would never kill and eat my pet, but others would and do b/c they need food that badly. Still others do simply b/c it is a speciality.

Answer 2

Our human nature has a capacity for placing ourselves into other people's shoes. This enables us to feel empathy and sympathy.

That give us the power to think about the Golden Rule which requires that we put ourselves in the place of others.

So the Golden Rule could be used to determine what is the right thing to do regardless of how society has trained us. Society expectations that are contrary to the Golden Rule are going to be constantly under strain. We may try self justifications and rationalizations as our country did with slavery, but eventually the GR will win.

But why is the GR the right rule to use? That's the problem. What is the moral authority by which we agree that we ought to obey the GR? Unless we believe in God as the giver of the GR, it has no moral authority over us.

Answer 3

I believe that some of it can be attributed to religious reasons. The 10 commandments are actually a pretty good guide to live by........some of the commandments have made it into our legal system; e.g., not to kill, not to steal.

Also the command to 'treat others as you would want them to treat you' is from the bible and is also a good moral guide as to whether or not a person is doing 'right' or 'wrong.'

Our consciences are a result of being taught right vs wrong & are quick to let us know when we are doing something we know is wrong. Unfortunately, the more a person does wrong weakens the conscience re that wrong until it no longer bothers the conscience because we have 'justified' our doing it.

Answer 4

Right is the highest morality. I can say it is different for everyone yes, but I can say I have been taught right, and I have been taught wrong. I first must be that honest. If someone stones a woman in another country and that is right to them, well, I know it is not right because they are still living with antiquated traditions that my education knows better. It is not right because it is right for you. Many scientists said Einstein was crazy, yet he wasn't. I have to accept that I have misdirected morals and selfish desires, but I believe that there is morality. Kill if it is your nature we can say of the tiger. Defend yourself, even conquer. There is a difference between liberation, succession and tyranny.
There is a right and there is a wrong. We may not know it, but there is. It is harmony, being true to our nature and fighting those falsehoods like religions that lead to sophistry and casuistry.
Many argue this, like Nietzsche for example, and I am of a like mind.

Quote: All I know is the extent of my own ignorance. Socrates

Answer 5

the simple answer is there is no such thing.

Imagine the world before humans were here, or the plains of africa where there are no humans. Does right and wrong exist there? In the animal kingdom? No. Humans gradually got this pack mentality and decided that certain things were not cool for the pack to survive, but there is no universal decision as to what is right and wrong in all cases.

Some animals kill their young, rape females, steal kills, etc... It's not "wrong". Suddenly humans come along and it's "wrong"

Answer 6

I believe your smart.

Everything with virtue is right and everything thats vices is wrong.

Sometime you might have wrong view because of the influence matter, wrong vibe wrong decisions.

We are human we must learn from our mistake and not to do it again MUST TRY OUR BEST.

Power is on your hands imagine you can lift up the mountains with on hand and put it down without a sound you are strong strong will will bring you everywhere you want in life.

Answer 7

Abraham Lincoln summed it up very neatly in this quote,
"When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. And that is my religion."
This how you know that what you are doing is right or wrong. It cannot be summed up more clearly. Laws do not always define true right or wrong, and what one considers right another may not. It is a personal thing and based on your personal ethics.
Deep inside we just know when we have done wrong, whether we admit it to ourselves or not.

Answer 8

You can't. At least not by thinking about it. Despite what philosophers, theologians, moralists, etc. try to argue, questions of right and wrong can't be determined by reason. I think it's mainly something ingrained into us by our community, dependent on our personality, relationships, and emotions.

Life isn't rational.

Read Nietzsche, Sartre, Jung, Campbell, etc. for philosophical reflection on this. Especially Nietzsche.

Answer 9

I think we all have a sixth sense sort of thing. If it was snowing very bad and you get this horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach, usually it is a sign not to go out. Next thing you know, someone got into an accident. So I think it is an instinct. That's my 2cents.

Answer 10

holy dumb mother f-u-c-kers. is everyone here so incredibly stupid that they have no idea what right and wrong is? if yahoo answers is a slight sample of the population and the answers reflect their intellect...it is of no wonder why the united states is on its decline as a world power.

there is an absolute 'right' and an absolute 'wrong'

here are some examples:

- stab someone in the neck. they die. you get convicted. you go to prison and become someone's boyfriend or get passed around. this is 'wrong'.

- not stealing. that is 'right'. because if you did steal, get caught. you go to prison as well but probably wont be someones beeyatch if it was nonviolent.

- kidnapping someone, cutting out their liver to eat. B-A-D. most likely going to prison and placed in isolation on death row.

- helping at the local mission handing out food. this is good unless you eat all the food.

this response is a sad and pathetic reflection on the ambiguity that so many americans are brainwashed into now. everything is gray. there is no absolute. this is truly a very sad sad state our great country is facing.