The Silver Rule > The Golden Rule

[The Valkyrie]

Where's the bronze rule about rooting goats and other farmyard livestock?

And this is why you can't find yourself a nice sheep.

You think they're just there for your sexual gratification.

If you get to know them you'll find they're more open to your advances.

And, if that doesn't work: Velcro!

[c172]

So, I had to look this up. I've heard of the silver rule but didn't know what it was (maybe I still don't?). The SR is saying "don't do to others what you don't want done to you". 

I think literally speaking, I like the SR more than the GR. The GR says "do unto others as you'd have done unto you". But we're all different. Maybe what somebody wants is not what somebody else wants. 

But with the SR, if you do something to somebody that you want done to/for you....well...that may be their cue to do that very thing to/for you.

[Whateverist]

Silver rule should be the gold standard.

[brewer]

Where's the bronze rule about rooting goats and other farmyard livestock?

I think that's the "corn hole" rule.

[Chad32]

So, if I'm a masochist...?

Which is what kneecaps these simplistic rules. Why not just treat people the way they want to be treated, if you want a basic rule at all

Most people want to be treated like the kings and queens of the world, and often showered with money. So there's an issue with that as well.

[Edwardo Piet]

The silver rule doesnt really cover doing nice things for others, just not hurting them.

The silver does indeed include not hurting others, yes, and it does not include doing nice things, that's true, but the golden rule does not include not hurting others or not doing nasty things. It entirely focuses on doing things to others that you yourself would enjoy which definitely could include doing things that could hurt people or they could consider nasty. In exactly the same way that the silver rule does not include  relevant actions the golden rule does not include relevant inactions. Just as the best way to guarantee that you don't do to others what you would not like them to do to you is to avoid them completely... the best way to guarantee that you do to others what you would like done to you is to do every single thing to them that you would like them to do to yourself. Which yes, would also, for example, include sexual things and assuming that because you are attracted to someone and would like them to do A,B,C then they would also like those things.

The silver rule can also be scary of course. Imagine a parent who was higly anorexic and refused to eat and therefore did not feed her children.

However the difference is extreme examples of the silver rule only apply to someone who has a big responsibilty to take care of someone else and neglectful people ought not to be in that position in the first place.

The silver rule at its most extreme hurts people indirectly by not actively helping them. It is neglectful.

The golden rule at its most extreme hurts people directly by actively doing what you think helps them even if it actually hurts them just because you yourself like it. It's narcissistic.

The difference is we don't always have a strong obligation to help someone as not only is not everyone our dependant but sometimes the most moral thing to do is to take care of ourselves.

But we do always have a strong obligation to not hurt others.

I guess I would ask you this question: If you were forced to assume that someone either A. liked all the things you like or B. disliked all the things you dislike... Would you pick A. or B. ?

I prefer the golden as it covers not harming others, but also being actively as good as you can.

Actually the golden rule does not include the former, it merely includes an attempt to do the latter. And the silver rule is the opposite: It does not include the latter but it does include an attempt to do the former."

The golden rule says "A quick guide to doing the moral thing is to ask yourself how you would like to be treated and treat other people that way too."

The silver rule says "A quick guide to doing the moral thing is to ask yourself how you would not like to be treated and don't treat other people that way either."

Also, the silver rule seems actively passive, haha. The way of the leaf, don't hurt others even if they intend to hurt you, sort of thing. That may actually be the best way to live, I'm not sure, but I think it's much more difficult for the majority of people.

And the golden rule suffers from the exact reverse problem as it's overactive. It says do to others what you would like them do to you. But what if you're a masochist?

[Cyberman]

Which is what kneecaps these simplistic rules. Why not just treat people the way they want to be treated, if you want a basic rule at all

Most people want to be treated like the kings and queens of the world, and often showered with money. So there's an issue with that as well.

I tend to agree, although I think that most people just want a quiet life rather than being the centre of attention the whole time. That goes to show the childishness of such simplistic 'rules' as they pertain to vastly complex systems such as human interactions. But even then, there's nothing wrong with treating people like royalty if it's within one's purview. Sam was always my princess (and I her prince) and we never ever lost that. Indeed, I always made it a point to keep the initial spark alight throughout all of our time together.

[Kernel Sohcahtoa]

I've actually been a fan of the platinum rule, which basically means treat people as they would want you to treat them.  Now, this is particularly useful when interacting with people from different cultures, as it forces one to begin the dialog process with inquiry and a willingness to learn about others who are different, rather than beginning the dialog process with a mindset based in one's starting points and projecting those starting points onto others, which can inadvertently result in misunderstandings and negative conflict. 

Now, naturally, IMO, the gold, silver, and platinum rules have their usefulness in certain contexts, so perhaps embracing a contextual balance of them may serve people well in their interactions with others.

[Chad32]

The blood rule. Treat everyone like they're family.

[Cyberman]

Fuck no. We'd be out of a species in a week.