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.

In his chapter on the Golden Rule, for example, Gensler is quick to note that one of the problems with it is that it does not take into account the fact that people stand in different relations to each other and in different sets of circ*mstances: it does not take it into account that you and I will be in a different ...

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).

It is found in numerous cultures, religions, ethical systems, secular philosophies, and indigenous traditions. And because the Golden Rule crosses so many traditions and philosophies, it possesses tremendous moral authority and reveals a profound unity underlying the diversity of human experience.

The "Golden Rule" was proclaimed by Jesus of Nazareth during his Sermon on the Mount and described by him as the second great commandment. The common English phrasing is "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".

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).

What is that golden rule? ›

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.

Example: Suppose you have purchased goods of Rs 5,000 from company XYZ. Since you have to make an expense of Rs 5,000, as per the golden rule, you will have to debit the expenditure and credit the income in the company accounts.

More Golden Rule Quotes:

"In everything, do to others what you would have them do to you. For this sums up the law and the prophets."

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.

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 golden rule is restricted in its use as it can be used only when the literal rule leads to ambiguities in interpretation. Its use thus becomes limited and rare. It is unpredictable and lacks guidelines. One of the main disadvantages of the rule is that judges can twist the meaning of the words and change the law.

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.

This is an example of just one type of social norm that can have a powerful influence on our behavior. The reciprocity norm operates on a simple principle: People tend to feel obligated to return favors after people do favors for them.