http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/27/magazine/does-the-golden-rule-hold-up-in-modern-society.html?_r=0&pagewanted=print
Does the Golden Rule Hold Up in Modern Society?
By CHUCK KLOSTERMAN
- want to be treated in a manner that accounts for the possibility that other people can’t predict what I want
- want to be treated in a manner that does not assume all people are the same
- never want anyone else to automatically impose their preferences upon my life
119 Comments
- Greg
- New York
Your Golden Rule response is ridiculously overthought, to the point of nonsense. The phrase simply means to treat others with fairness and compassion, as any -- indeed, all -- of us would choose to be treated.
- Sajwert
- NH
Ask yourself if you want to be cheated, or stolen from, or lied to, or treated rudely with contempt, do you want to be ignored, denigrated because you are a skin color you can do nothing about, belong to a church that someone else doesn't, do you want this? If the answer is a resounding no, then you don't do it to anyone else.
- Rev. E.M. Camarena, Ph.D.
- Hells Kitchen, NYC
Saroyan, among others, wanted to see if it is possible to lead what he called a civilized life, meaning - to him - a life that would not hurt anybody else. But that is an impossible standard. We cannot be responsible for how other people feel about what we do. The golden rule means we should not ACTIVELY do things to someone that would bother us should they do it to us.
- Che Beauchard
- Manhattan
One tends toward literal interpretations of rules when one is seeking legal loopholes, not when one is seeking insight into how one can be ethical. I suggest a more generous and less legalistic reading.
- Brian Wood
- 95415
The Ethicist makes The Golden Rule more complicated than is needed. Think of it the same way as the phrase "All men are created equal". Both phrases are concise ways of stating the correctness of individuals being afforded equal opportunity in a just society.
All people are obviously NOT created equal, but deserve an equal opportunity to achieve what they might.
As for The Golden Rule, one obviously cannot know how all others want to be treated. Nor, by the way, would it necessarily be ethical to treat each individual how he or she wants to be treated, as that could interfere with how others perceive their own treatment (i.e. I want you to treat me as more important than my brother). It is silly to try to parse the Golden Rule in such a literal way. The Golden Rule is shorthand for saying all individuals deserve freedom from oppression by others, as well as consideration for their particular needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment