Regardless of the choices we make in life or the decisions we make at work, we subconsciously make judgments about what is good or bad, right or wrong.
However, it is obvious that our judgments about things are sometimes inaccurate, or even completely opposite. What causes this situation to occur? Exploring this question can help us better understand ourselves, understand the mindset we have before making decisions, how this mindset has developed over time, and how we can improve ourselves.
How are judgments of good and bad formed?
Is there really a definitive right or wrong for something or a decision?
Sometimes we can give a direct answer, "this is right, that is wrong," but sometimes we cannot make a judgment.
When our minds have criteria to judge something or a decision, we unconsciously judge the object based on the existing standards. These standards are usually laws, morals, and other obvious and universally accepted norms. However, sometimes we cannot make a reasonable judgment based on these norms, and we need to use our brains to engage in logical reasoning to some extent. Each person's level of logical thinking varies, so the judgments made are also different.
Therefore, it can be seen that even for the same thing, different people will make different judgments. These judgments are made by individuals with different levels of cognition and thinking. There is no right or wrong, only who is more reasonable and logically sound. However, the world we live in is a vast and complex ecosystem with infinite information. The world itself is constantly changing. In addition, an individual's logical inference is only a deduction of a small part of complex things and cannot fully explain the true nature of things.
Based on the above analysis, we can see that there are several flaws in our individual judgments of things:
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In terms of the overall living environment, the information we have is too limited to make accurate judgments.
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In terms of the things being judged, the attributes that exist in different contexts and time points are not constant. It is impossible to use a conclusion to define something or a decision.
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In terms of the individual making the judgment, each person's cognition is extremely limited. All judgments are just interpretations of things within the scope of self-awareness and do not have absolute correctness.
Therefore, we understand that is there really an absolute right or wrong for something or a decision? Not necessarily, of course, actions such as murder, robbery, and violations of laws and regulations that have a negative impact on others and society are not within the scope of this discussion. This article is only limited to the analysis of things in normal life and work.
It seems that the act of judging something or making a judgment about a decision is not a product of a region or country, nor is it a product of an era or a culture. So how do we develop such a near-paranoid driving force to judge the various things and decisions we encounter?
Why do we judge things?
Surface reasons:
First of all, from a superficial perspective, there are mainly two factors:
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Social level
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Personal level
Social level:
Individuals live in society, and an individual cannot survive independently. Therefore, one of the instincts of living organisms is to conform to social consensus. For example, if society considers arson, murder, and looting as crimes, then none of us can do these things, otherwise we will violate the consensus and cause resistance from other members of society. In today's society, this work is mainly carried out by public security, procuratorial, and judicial institutions, with regional public opinion as a supplement.
Many of our judgments about things are also based on social consensus. Many consensuses have gradually internalized into our subconsciousness during our growth process. Many times, we do not need to think too much or conduct complex logical analysis before making judgments.
Personal level:
If an individual exists alone, they cannot survive. We need to obtain recognition and acceptance from other members of the group. This acceptance is based on responding to social consensus. Letting others know that you acknowledge social consensus will lead to the recognition of existing consensus supporters.
In this case, our judgments about certain things are sometimes based on our true feelings, and sometimes they are said against our true feelings in order to gain recognition from others. Everyone certainly has their own expression and position, but it should not be extreme.
Deep reasons:
Then, from a deeper level, there is only one reason why we are accustomed to judging things, which is fear.
This fear, to be more specific, is the fear of uncertainty.
Since primitive society, humans have developed a set of methodologies for understanding the world, one of which is to understand that the world is an extremely complex system. We can only survive better if we know more about an environment. The unknown equals danger, and danger means the uncertainty of life. Due to the insignificance of humans and the excessive complexity of the world, human understanding of the world is only a microscopic, partial, and one-sided understanding. However, even this tiny bit of certain existence has allowed humans to avoid many moments of crisis.
So, at this point, it is easy to understand why we are prone to, good at, and willing to make judgments about things or decisions. However, as mentioned earlier, we cannot make reasonable judgments, so what should we do?
How can we improve our understanding of things?
In fact, the ease of making judgments about things is mainly due to the following reasons:
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Insufficient understanding of the situation at the time of decision-making. Many times, we make our own one-sided judgments without sufficient understanding and research on a matter. This situation is basically limited to our own knowledge and emotions. The most direct way to deal with this situation is to find evidence for each judgment and have a solid foundation, rather than making emotionally driven mistakes.
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Insufficient understanding of the development of things in daily life. Things are always evolving, and the environment is constantly changing. Our understanding of things also needs to be viewed and analyzed with a perspective of development and change. Otherwise, in many cases, we can only obtain a biased conclusion. The story of "Sai Weng Lost His Horse" by ancient Chinese philosopher Zhuangzi also expresses the same truth.
In today's information-rich world, where information can overshadow facts, we need to constantly strengthen our self-cultivation to cope with the ever-changing times.
In terms of attitude, I advocate maintaining politeness and respect for others in any situation. This respect comes from respecting oneself and is a dignified way of being human.
In terms of personal cognition, try to learn and understand basic subjects such as biology and physics. Think about why something happens and develops. There may be many problems, but the reasons may be simple.
In terms of position, be open-minded and willing to accept different views and opinions from oneself. Humans are inherently limited in knowledge, and refusing to accept better ideas in order to maintain one's own position only reveals ignorance and weakness.
Reading List
"Tarkovsky: Praying in the Film"
"A Brief History of Thought"
"Back to Back, Face to Face"
"The Spirit of Mongolia"
"Stranger's Music"
"My Bronze Age - Luo Xiang"
"My Bronze Age - Chen Peisi"
"Attracting Attention"
"A Small Red Writing Book"
"Networked"
"Socket Academy: Promotion and Salary Increase 30-Day Training Camp"
"Human Investigation Team"
"Reporting Upwards"
"Chowders and Soups" by Liz Feltham
"Dear Comrades"
"Self-Study Room for Sex - Season 3"
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