How do we determine if we are right or wrong? — Average

Be true to yourself and let the cards fall where they may. I'm in just such a situation now. It's exhilarating.

Be true to yourself and let the cards fall where they may.

Would you mind clarifying what you mean? Some elaboration would be greatly appreciated.

How do we determine if we are right or wrong? How can we be certain that our actions are actually beneficial and not counterproductive? — Average

Are you asking for individual approaches to these two separate questions, or if there is an 'objective' approach.

Right or wrong about what?

By what criteria do you define beneficial?

Personally I just wing it based on experience and common sense - which is kind of anathema to 'proper' philosophy. I think when it comes to important decisions about day to day living, few people are theorists.

I've been in this same mire all day.

How do you forget the common sense that you have no idea the variables at play.

Do we just believe what's convenient, psychologically (if even that.)

I'm just trying to ignore the question. I don't know if I've got a grip on reality or not.

Are you asking for individual approaches to these two separate questions, or if there is an 'objective' approach.

I would prefer an objective approach but individual approaches could still be valuable.

Would you mind clarifying what you mean? Some elaboration would be greatly appreciated. — Average

It's easy to end up living a life that isn't your own. It's like there's a voice in the world telling you what to eat, what to wear, what to say, what to be afraid of, what to cheer for, etc.

There's safety in following that lead, but ultimately it's a sheep's life. To live your own life, you have to discover the deeper imperatives in your being. It may take time to discover them. But then spontaneously follow them.

You may hurt people in the process, but these are people who wanted to use you as an appendage. All you can do is be sorry for their pain and move on.

Objective to which question and in what context? To be right or wrong about aesthetics is rather different than on capital punishment, say.

I think it would help if you sketched out what it is you are asking with greater clarity using examples. Generalized discussion (minus specific examples) often gets us nowhere.

Right or wrong about what?

I’m asking how we can know that our confidence in our own decisions is justified or not.

By what criteria do you define beneficial?

I would use the criteria of medicine. What I mean is that historically some treatments that have been adopted were later abandoned due to new evidence demonstrating the lack of any value. Bleeding a patient would be an example.

I think it would help if you sketched out what it is you are asking with greater clarity using examples.

Would you mind identifying precisely where I was unclear And what kind of examples would be helpful?

I’m asking how we can know that our confidence in our own decisions is justified or not. — Average

You seem not to understand me. The point is about what decisions? Every situation is different. Right or wrong about mass murder or right or wrong about giving money to the poor? There is no multifactorial right and wrong assessment mechanism.

Would you mind identifying precisely where I was unclear And what kind of examples would be helpful? — Average

You are asking general questions that have no answer. Be specific. As above. Morality will have a different pathways to aesthetics. - do you follow?

In responding note also to highlight the quote and select 'quote' so we know who you have responded to

There is no multifactorial right and wrong assessment mechanism. — Tom Storm

How did you come to this conclusion?

You are asking general questions that have no answer. — Tom Storm

How do you know that the questions I am asking have no answer?

There is no multifactorial right and wrong assessment mechanism. — Tom Storm

I disagree

The point is about what decisions? Every situation is different. Right or wrong about mass murder or right or wrong about giving money to the poor? — Tom Storm

I don’t think that it is necessary to discuss specific choices that have been made by different people. If you believe that it would be worth our time and energy please explain your reasoning.

To live your own life, you have to discover the deeper imperatives in your being. — frank

I’m not sure what you are referring to when you mentioned the deeper imperatives of our being.

I think when it comes to important decisions about day to day living, few people are theorists. — Tom Storm

I agree but I also think that this fact is irrelevant

There is no multifactorial right and wrong assessment mechanism.
— Tom Storm

I disagree — Average

Well then why are you asking if there is one? If you have one demonstrate it.

I'm going to opt out of this. If it goes somewhere I might drop in again. Cheers.

I'm just trying to ignore the question. I don't know if I've got a grip on reality or not. — theRiddler

I highly doubt that ignoring the problem is the solution

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

How do you solve a problem like Maria? — theRiddler

Who is Maria?

Dude, you gotta watch "Sound of Music."

That said, there's much to consider between how disjointed this all must be, yet how operable.

Dude, you gotta watch "Sound of Music." — theRiddler

So basically the nuns sing a song

We don't.

All we can do is do what we think is best, given the circumstances we are in. If we are on the right path, so to speak, we will feel good and satisfied, some of the time anyway. If we are going the wrong way, it'll likely feel bad after a certain amount of time.

But there are no guarantees and we could be fooling ourselves.

All we can do is do what we think is best, given the circumstances we are in. — Manuel

The problem is that very often what we think is best ends up producing catastrophic consequences

Well, I can't avoid cliché's here:

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Constant questioning, but mild confidence in what you're doing is likely the best you can do. Unless you are totally nuts and need a therapist. :)

Constant questioning, but mild confidence in what you're doing is likely the best you can do. — Manuel

Why mild confidence? Why not complete confidence or no confidence?

I recall a conversation I had with the sister of an old friend just yesterday. She brought up her brother while we were talking and I told her how different the two of us were. Her brother had meticulously planned his life right down to the type of girl he wanted to marry and where he'd be working. He pulled it off, hats off to him. As for myself, I informed her, I didn't have a plan for the next day leave alone a strategem for life like her dear brother had.

I'm unsure as to whether my "plan" not to have a plan will pay off at some point but given my present circumstances, I have absolutely nothing to show for it, zip, nada.

Whenever we decide to do something we believe that what we are about to do actually does make sense. How do we determine if we are right or wrong? How can we be certain that our actions are actually beneficial and not counterproductive? — Average

Do you think it's possible to determine if we are right or wrong? Why or why not?

Is it wise to aim at certainty before making a decision?

Do we actually make decisions or do they just sort of happen and then we come up with a reason we made the decision after the fact?

Something about your question seems ambiguous to me. What does it mean for a decision to make sense? To who? Right and wrong to who? Who is to judge?

PS. In general, it seems the options are to learn as best we can from the experience of others and what we can't learn vicariously we have to learn from our own experience. I don't think there is an air-tight formula one can pass down to others so one can be certain one is making a "right" or "beneficial" decision. However, maybe we can come up with general rules of thumbs. Basic guidelines. Maybe by averaging out advice from a large pool of successful happy people. It might turn out to be highly individualistic though. I probably shouldn't be giving my own opinions on the matter because I'm not a happy person myself, so what do I know.