My personal life and how do I know what's "right" or "true"?

Philosophy Forums Philosophy
1

Science tells you. But it’s not perfect. It keeps changing. And even if it didn’t, how do we know it has the truth? Lobotomy anyone? Even antibiotics which seemed perfect now have helped the development of resistant super bugs. Religion does not change but how do you know it’s the truth?

There are many philosophies, like the one behind religion (based on faith), or behind science (based on skepticism, and empiricism). How do we know these philosophies are right themselves? Every single thing you do on a daily basis is based on some assumption, many of which we can not prove or be completely sure of.

For me, the great majority of my thoughts and actions are PROBABLY based on genes and biology in general, environment, social and cultural norms, personality and personal values, religious upbringing, intuition, law, free will, chance, etc.

This may not worry you but it does bother me quite a bit. I have been considering a career where I can help people, and after studying psychology for a while I realized that the science was far from perfect, and even if it was how do I know it has uncovered truth about human beings? On top of that, people have different values and there is no way I know of to say this value is better than that value. Should I make people be happy or successful? It does me no good to think to myself this is the best we know at this time and just go ahead and give therapy to people. I take that responsibility very seriously.

Let me give you an example. A sociologist might come along and say that therapy is detrimental to us! So not only do we have discussions about which form of therapy works, this guy now says they are all harmful. He might say that psychotherapy convinces people that life is not so bad and it is them, the patients, who have a negative world view. They will be taught to see the positive. The sociologist might say the positive changes at the societal level only happen when many people become upset with the status quo and demand a change. If we medicate people and convince them that all is good, change will never happen.

How you evaluate this probably depends on whether you want to see the person as sick or the community/society as sick. There is no clear and sure way to say who is right.

My confusion here has infected my life in general. I am unemployed and just can not make up my mind about anything. Any single decision I try to make, I always wonder if it’s REALLY the right thing to do, and if there is any way I can find what is truly the right thing to do. I don’t want to be 60 and look back at my life and think how do I know I did anything good in my life at all. How do I really know?

A friend of mine recently said that he wants to see this guy (who I consider charlatan) who does this weird energy therapy and it costs 200$. Usually I would try to convince him otherwise, but I just don’t know anymore and can’t argue with him. He really believes in it. Maybe that’s all that counts. I don’t know anymore.

Hope someone can help me out of this confusion. :frowning: :-k

2

What about your next job has to be “right” or “true”? How about if it’s reasonably pleasant work and it pays your bills? What about the rest of your time, when you’re not sleeping?

Yeah, everything’s based on assumptions. What’s so “wrong” or “untrue” about that?

Get a job, get drunk, get laid, have fun.

Grow up.

A little.

Not too much.

3

Your problem is that you think too much. It is paralyzing you. Pick a career you like that is achievable. There is no perfect answer.

4

Thank you for your responses.

I guess you get your worth elsewhere, maybe from family relations, or religion, or maybe you try not to think about it too much.

For me, eversince I was a kid, my identity and sense of worth had been tied into my studies and later job/career. The whole thing about doing what’s right, seemed quite simple to me when I was younger. Then I started doubting religion. Then I started putting my faith in science and then I started doubting that too. On a daily basis, when you turn on TV or go on internet you are bombarded by the so-called experts. Life Coaches, therpists, psychiatrists, religious people, scientists, etc. It’s maddening since a lot of what they say is contradictory. I don’t want to be another voice babbling pointless bullshit.

Maybe it’s the bit of religion in me but I always had the sense that there is reason behind everything and the scientist in me that says we can find those reasons. But as soon as I think I find a career path or job which allows me to feel I am really doing something good and helpful, I start questioning myself. It’s like I want to go up this mountain and plant my flag and it suddenly turns into a valley. I mean you could be a guy spending a week to get the paper work and legal authority and evidence, etc, to go and save this dog, and then you are on the internet and read a 1000 people died in some war or from hunger or earthquake or whatever. And then you start thinking the dog will die anyway so maybe it was destined to die this way and the hundreds of dollars spent on it could feed an African child. Do these things bother you too?

p.s. If I was very talented in some field, I probably would not be discussing this here. The thing is that I am somewhat talented and entering any field of work is going to be a real push for me and it’s very difficult for me to change careers as I am quite an emotional person. My cousin is a talented engineer and I guess when you’re good at something, it’s your incentive to do that job and make some money and not overthink it. For me no particular talent stands out. I am average at nearly everything (except that I suck at mechanics and sales:))

5

By how well it works. That is the best yardstick we have available. Utility approaches the truth as it increases (asymptotically, insofar as I can tell).

6

Say you were a fireman, you arrive at a burning building, you can wait to get into action untill you gather all the available info and caculate the most appropriate response or you can get into action immeadiatly and adjust to the circumstances.
Proceed with caution and don’t be afraid to change.

7

I guess utility approaches are sometimes useful. But not always, and I don’t know when.

The fire analogy is interesting. I think you point out two issues. One is the urgent need for one’s input…the idea that I HAVE to do something. The second idea, is about time. I might become an eighty year-old-man and finally make a decision but would I have enough time to act on the decision? Of course, there is the real need for paying the bills, etc, so I have to do something at least for selfish reasons (i.e. to live). Beyond that, I wonder if I have enough evidence to define my situation as a house on fire. Do I NEED to contribute to humanity at all costs even if I’m dead wrong? And how would I feel when I’m an old man, having made up my mind to some extent, but regretting not having done anything useful when I was younger. It’s like staying at a crossroad, feeling paralyzed because I don’t know which direction is right. Maybe I should start driving and maybe I will have enough time to turn around half way if I end up being wrong.

8

I would just feel lucky that you’re fortunate enough to even have a say in what you do in life.

9

I guess I owe that all to Adam and Eve for eating that apple. So we humans have a choice. But the fact that I have this choice at a practical level may be due to modernism and globalism and the decline of tradition and religion. Back in the day a fellow would grow up in a farm and his dad would be a farmer and working from dawn till dusk and the kid would do the same and problem of choice would never come up. Some time later it would be all about going to city and maybe getting a different job, and now we’ve got personality and career tests and people moving up and down the country and immigrants moving around the globe for a better future. I surely don’t want to live on a farm and travel back in time but I certainly envy that simplicity of life.

But the point is well taken that if I lived under the dictatorship of someone who would force me to do some unpleasant job, I would be quite upset. I should be happy that I am fortunate.

10

simonsays

you need confidence in what you are and what you gained in knowledge and why you choose the path you did more than anything . it seems you are a good person so go with that . your confidence will be gained by experience . nothing new really . just do it , just do it :smiley:

you will get there just give yourself a chance , give it your best .

good people in this world are badly needed

north

11

The fireman analogy was not really about ugency but more about getting prepared and not just jumping in. Every house fire is an unknow environment just as your choice of employment is, but you can research different fields and talk to people in that field, also you can prioritise what is important to you in a career.

The fireman prepares by fighting fires in simulated house fires and by ordering the steps he must take and priotising those steps:

RECEO & PACT

R-rescue
E-exposures
C-containment
E-extinguishment
O-overhaul

P-prioritise
A-alternatives
C-choose
T-take action

R-PACT
E-PACT
C-PACT
E-PACT
O-PACT

12

Thank you for the kind comments. I’m Canadian too. But as far as being a good person, here’s an example of the issues I deal with.

I remember when I was a kid, I would hear someone say something like “the more you know, the less you really know”, and I would think it was false modesty. But it has been my experience that the more I learned, the less confident I have become. For instace, and this may sound unpleasant, but there is comfort in being racist and believing in it. If you’re white and you hate brown people (Mexicans, Middle Easterners, etc) or you’re black and hate white people, etc, you’re life is quite simple. You trust your own people and don’t trust people of some other colour and you can see them coming from far. But then you learn about racism, and you are told it’s wrong. Now you should trust everyone and also be afraid of everyone. Now you have to dig much deeper to find out who poses a threat to you. Your nice little simple–and incorrect–rule has to be replaced with a somewhat more accurate but much more complicated rule. So I gladly did that–and secretly felt arrogant about viewing everyone as equal–and then I read about studies that say even people who try to be politically correct, educated and academic people, they are still quite racist as per tests of the unconscious. Apparently some study suggested that these people are actually even more racist than the “simple-minded” folks who are outright racist. A lot of times I have the feeling that we are trying to tame emotions and we bury them under so much intellectual b.s. but at the end of the day, we are only fooling ourselves.

I feel that I’m being too dramatic so…: :-({|= :-({|= :-({|=

13

This part is true. We all lie to ourselves in order to be optimistic. I’m sure most of us don’t even realize it.

14

For God’s sake don’t go see that guy…go see these guys: revleft.com/vb/

They will rebuild you. Better. Faster. Stronger.

15

there is good and bad in ALL people no matter where on this planet they come from

16

indeed, my inital response is to say that humans will do the best they can, and what we call true is constantly being advanced along with the present.

humans need these truths to be able to function as a set of cogs or else half of them will starve and the rest will probably kill themselves somehow.

in the end natural selection choses practicality over validity…