Golden Rule | moral code, universal law, reciprocity (2024)

FAQs

Golden Rule | moral code, universal law, reciprocity? ›

The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that you should reciprocate to others how you would like them to treat you (not necessarily how they actually treat you).

Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is the shortest way to benevolence. One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence of morality.

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This seems the most familiar version of the golden rule, highlighting its helpful and proactive gold standard.

It is precisely because (1) It is not an 'infallible guide' to what is right or wrong; (2) It doesn't say what specific acts to do; (3) It “does not replace regular moral norms”; and (4) It asks that the moral agent do something impossible, that any version of the Golden Rule that would still be recognizable as the ...

The First Universal Principle of Influence is Reciprocity

Simply put, people are obliged to give back to others the form of a behavior, gift, or service that they have received first. If a friend invites you to their party, there's an obligation for you to invite them to a future party you are hosting.

Marshall Sahlins, an American cultural anthropologist, identified three main types of reciprocity (generalized, balanced and negative) in the book Stone Age Economics (1972).

The Universality of the Golden Rule

At the very least, the Golden Rule seems to address the very widespread tendency to think that morality means equity: that everyone should be treating everyone else in the same way. Perhaps even if we agree upon nothing else, we can be said to agree upon this rule.

The Golden Rule is often described as 'putting yourself in someone else's shoes', or 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you'(Baumrin 2004). The viewpoint held in the Golden Rule is noted in all the major world religions and cultures, suggesting that this may be an important moral truth (Cunningham 1998).

Golden rule argument is an argument made by a lawyer during a jury trial to ask the jurors to put themselves in the place of the victim or the injured person and deliver the verdict that they would wish to receive if they were in that person's position.

Example: A company, PQR buys Rs 10,000 worth of goods from company ABC. In the financial books of company PQR, the accountant will debit the company's purchase account and credit company ABC. It is because company PQR will have to incur an expenditure of Rs 10,000 to buy the goods, which under the rule must be debited.

What is the Golden Rule really saying? ›

Most people grew up with the old adage: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Best known as the “golden rule”, it simply means you should treat others as you'd like to be treated.

The “Golden Rule”—“Love your neighbor as yourself”—is doubtless the most widely known and affirmed ethical principle worldwide. At the same time, it has its serious, quasi-serious, and jocund critics.

You don't need to consider someone else's perspective at all. The “golden rule” is usually expressed as “treat others as you yourself would wish to be treated”. Its flaw is that it rests upon an assumption that everybody has the same desires as to how they would like to be treated … and they don't.

This can result in a more equitable outcome, especially when the literal interpretation would lead to unfair or discriminatory results. Potential for judicial subjectivity: One of the disadvantages of the golden rule is that it introduces an element of judicial subjectivity into the interpretation process.

It provides a solution only if you can directly ask the other person precisely how they want to be treated — and if that option is available, you don't really need an overriding axiom to guide your behavior. This is why the Golden Rule is ultimately like every other maxim: It works flawlessly, until it doesn't.

The principle of reciprocity involves permitting the application of the legal effects of specific relationships in law when these same effects are accepted equally by foreign countries. In international law, reciprocity means the right to equality and mutual respect between states.

The rule of reciprocation, which states that we should attempt to repay in kind what another person has given us, is the most compelling weapon of influence that humanity possess.

The Law of Reciprocity, described by “Godfather of Influence” Robert Cialdini in his book Influence, is the human tendency to feel obligated to do something in return when someone does something for you first. In other words, it's human nature to feel obligated to reciprocate when someone does something for you.

The ethics of reciprocity, known as the “golden rule,” is any moral dictum that encourages people to treat others the way they would like to be treated. The principle exists in the sacred texts of the world's religions as well as the writings of secular philosophers.