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Well, I have principles based on logically reasoning backward from a subjective utopian ideal. No oral tradition or religious dogma here.

"What is right" and "what is wrong" are good questions - ask yourself that repeatedly, over years, and you can find your principles too. "Why is X right/wrong?" are also helpful :)

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what is the utopian ideal? Did you read it somewhere? (Was it communicated orally?) With the utopian ideal being subjective... it does seem fairly arbitrary. I don't generally see right as being useful in any way. It's unnuanced. And seems to revert to a tradition of some kind or another.

My (not "the") utopian ideal is one that actively minimizes suffering of sentient life... aiming for zero socially inflicted suffering (war, famine, coercion, etc) and in harmony with the environment (sustainable environmental exploitation). Working backwards involves details of socioeconomic structures and so on... but that's my ideal in a nutshell.

It is subjective. I said that from the beginning. The value of strong principles is being able to make decisions with intent and confidence.

Unless you consult an RNG for every decision, you still live by a set of principles... emergent, unexplored, uninformed ones, but principles nonetheless. Why do you work? Why do you do that work? Heck, why do you do laundry?

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