Does it make sense for someone to believe themselves to be morally good?

This topic has been bothering me lately, as I’m sure it has many people. I’m aware that similar topics have been posted here before, but I would like to pose this specific question. <br><br>Is it rational or sensible to believe in one’s own moral goodness? <br><br>In other words, does it make sense for someone to believe that they are good, morally speaking, or even to say they believe that people are generally good? <br><br>From my perspective it seems as though this doesn’t make a lot of sense. First of all, there is no clear agreement in society on what is good, and on what is bad. So how do we determine that we are on the right side?<br><br>And what is it to be “good,” exactly? Is it doing good things, making a net positive impact on society, etc.? How does one know that they have reached that threshold, if there is such a thing? <br><br>If someone were to say that they believe themselves to be a morally good person, they should be able to point to the universal standards they are using to judge themselves. Of course, they will fail to do so, because there are none. <br><br>Secondly, if you reflect on your own history and past actions, it is not easy to conclude that you have done more good than bad, necessarily. I think if you reflect closely and honestly, you will be forced to conclude that you are guilty of having done a lot of harm and selfish things. <br><br>You cannot even trust your own perception of yourself, because your own perception is biased by your own selfishness. <br><br>And it doesn’t seem right to define ourselves based on our intentions alone. It is not as if we can will ourselves to be good. <br><br>Furthermore, we are products of our environment and our environments are usually not morally good. So it is unlikely that we are morally good either. <br><br>I think it is interesting to consider this on a larger scale as well. It would seem illogical to conclude that humanity is a morally good species. Our history is one of bloodshed, slavery, exploitation, corruption, genocide, war, and countless other horrors. To this day we see widespread exploitation, abuse, greed, and neglect for human life. <br><br>If someone wants to say that they believe people are generally good, they should be able to point to the universal standards they are using to justify this claim. Of course, they will fail to do so, because there are none. <br><br>It would seem then, that it is irrational to believe ourselves or others or society as a whole to be morally good. <br><br>What are your thoughts?