The Golden Rule ? Sense or Bullshit?

[genkaus]

I quote the following;

All the most reasonable teachings of human wisdom concerning justice are summed up in that famous adage: Do unto others that which you would that others should do unto you; Do not unto others that which you would not that others should do unto you. But this rule of moral practice is unscientific: what have I a right to wish that others should do or not do to me? It is of no use to tell me that my duty is equal to my right, unless I am told at the same time what my right is.

How many things in life do we just accept without really looking at it closely?

Religion has caused many cultures of nonthinking to occur. This I see as the root of the God-problem namely educated non-thinkers.

I suffer from the same educational problems but at least I try and see through them as much as possible.

Do you agree? Sense or Bullshit?

The thing to remember about the golden rule is that its just a thumb rule, not a universal moral principle. It is a handy guide which would help you make the right decision regarding a lot of actions in your everyday life, but it is not to be treated as an absolute principle to live by. There may be supervening moral principles or interests in play which may render its application moot. So, while it is good adage that allows for peaceful relations in your daily affairs, it is not to be applied blindly and without consideration for the situation.

Consider another thumb rule - "If it smells funny, don't eat it". While a good rule in most cases, there are foods that are good for you even though they smell bad. Other foods may smell good may be harmful. Clearly, there are many cases where the principle fails completely.

Similarly, when a judge is sentencing a criminal, he should not act on the golden rule. When a rich man is thinking of donating all his money to charity, he should not act on the golden rule. When you are thinking of taking your dream job which would take you away from your family who want you close by - you should not act on the golden rule. And when someone holds and acts on irrational beliefs, you should not hold your tongue because in his place you wouldn't want to be told that you are wrong.