The Golden Rule
“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
A very famous quote from Luke in the bible, but also stated by a ton of philosophers throughout history. This is the Ethic of Reciprocity, but is more commonly referred to as “The Golden Rule.”
While I don’t have a problem with this idea, I do feel it is too universal of a statement. I would tend to agree more with:
“Do unto strangers as you would have them do unto you, but do unto friends as they would want done unto them.”
What is missing from the original is the acknowledgment of the “other’s” personal feelings and preferences. If you’re dealing with someone you know nothing about, it is a good universal principal to treat them how you would want to be treated.
However, if you know something about the person, you should take that into account before doing anything unto them.
For example, your friend doesn’t like anyone to touch them when they’re upset. Even though you might feel better when someone gives you a hug when you’re upset, you wouldn’t give them a hug because you know it’s not what they want.
It’s very important to take someone else’s personal preferences and feelings into account before applying the golden rule because not everyone wants the same things in every situation.
Nothing complicated here, just an examination and specification of a very old principle.
2 years ago
