Living the Golden Rule

—Treat others as you want to be treated

Introduction

The golden rule— often stated as “treat others as you want to be treated”—is endorsed by all the great world religions; Jesus, Hillel, and Confucius used it to summarize their ethical teachings. For many centuries the idea has been influential among people of very diverse cultures. These facts suggest that the golden rule may be an important moral truth.

Consider an example of how the rule is used. In 1963 US President John Kennedy appealed to the golden rule in an anti-segregation speech at the time of the first black enrollment at the University of Alabama. He asked whites to consider what it would be like to be treated as second-class citizens because of skin color. Whites were asked to imagine themselves being black — and being told that they couldn't vote, or go to the best public schools, or eat at most public restaurants, or sit in the front of the bus. Would whites be content to be treated that way? He was sure that they wouldn't — and yet this is how they treated others. He said the “heart of the question is ... whether we are going to treat our fellow Americans as we want to be treated.” This illustrates how switching places is central to understanding the golden rule.

The golden rule is best interpreted as saying: “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation.” To apply it, you’d imagine yourself on the receiving end of the action in the exact place of the other person (which includes having the other person’s likes and dislikes). If you act in a given way toward another, and yet are unwilling to be treated that way in the same circumstances, then you violate the rule.

To apply the golden rule adequately, we need knowledge and imagination. We need to know what effect our actions have on the lives of others. And we need to be able to imagine ourselves, vividly and accurately, in the other person's place on the receiving end of the action. With knowledge, imagination, and the golden rule, we can progress far in our moral thinking.

The golden rule is best seen as a consistency principle. It doesn't replace regular moral norms. It isn't an infallible guide on which actions are right or wrong; it doesn't give all the answers. It only prescribes consistency — that we not have our actions (toward another) be inconsistent with our desires (toward action in a reversed situation). It tests our moral coherence and congruence. If we violate the golden rule, then we're violating the spirit of fairness and concern that lie at the heart of morality. The golden rule is necessary, but not a sufficient basis for a universal moral code.

The golden rule, with roots in a wide range of world cultures, is well suited to be a standard that different cultures can appeal to in resolving conflicts. As the world becomes more interconnected and evolves toward a single interacting global community, the need for such a common standard is becoming more urgent. This is an essential step in our journey toward attaining a global perspective.

Objectives

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Attribution: User lbeaumont created this resource and is actively using it. Please coordinate future development with this user if possible.

The objectives of this course are to:

1. Gain a practical understanding of the golden rule.
2. Work through common misunderstandings and objections to the golden rule.
3. Improve your own moral decision making.
4. Practice living the golden rule.

The course contains many hyperlinks to further information. Use your judgment and these link following guidelines to decide when to follow a link, and when to skip over it. Each of the top level headings below are linked to course materials; it is important to follow these links.

This course is a companion to the related course Understanding the Golden Rule. Students may also be interested in the course on the virtues.

This course is part of the Applied Wisdom curriculum.

If you wish to contact the instructor, please click here to send me an email or leave a comment or question on the discussion page.

This course was developed in cooperation with Professor Harry J. Gensler, a noted expert on the golden rule. Content from the book Gensler, Harry J. (March 21, 2013). Ethics and the Golden Rule. Routledge. pp. 256. ISBN 978-0415806879.  has been adapted for use in this course by permission of Routledge and the author.

A Simple Story

This Brothers Grimm fairy tale, “The Old Man and His Grandson” illustrates the golden rule.

The Old Man

There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his son’s wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which he had to eat. They were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. “What are you doing there?” asked the father. “I am making a little trough,” answered the child, “for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.”

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything.

When the grandson helped his parents imagine switching places with the old man, the parents suddenly knew how their actions affected the grandfather. They were not willing to be treated so poorly in the same situation, so they began to treat him as they would consent to be treated when they grow old.

Assignment

View this video lecture overview of the golden rule.

Optionally view this video lecture describing various statements of the golden rule originating from many ancient sources, including many religions.

Long term Project

• Pledge to yourself to “Treat others only as you consent to being treated in the same situation, to the best of my ability, every time, at every opportunity”.
• Notice how you are gratified by following the Golden Rule.
• Notice when you fail to follow the Golden Rule. Reflect on this and ask “why did this lapse occur?”
• Watch Karen Armstrong's TED Video to reaffirm your commitment to living the golden rule.
• Enjoy the gratification and strive to correct and overcome the lapses.

Resources

Because the golden rule is timeless and important, many resources for learning more about it are available. Some of the most relevant are listed here.

• The Golden Rule page, provided by Harry Gensler, provides links to many golden-rule related resources.
  • His collection of golden rule stories is particularly helpful.
• The Scarboro missions embraces the golden rule an an essential part of their interfaith mission. They provide many resources for learning, teaching, and advocating the golden rule.
  • Their golden rule poster is particularly popular. You may be interested in the history of the poster.
• Jeffrey Wattles, author of The Golden Rule, describes the recent resurgence in interest in the golden rule.
• Karen Armstrong gave several TED talks, including: Let's revive the Golden Rule where she motivates the Charter for Compassion.

Further Reading

Students interested in learning more about the golden rule may be interested in the following materials:

• Gensler, Harry J. (March 21, 2013). Ethics and the Golden Rule. Routledge. pp. 256. ISBN 978-0415806879. 
• Wattles, Jeffrey (December 5, 1996). The Golden Rule. Oxford University Press. pp. 272. ISBN 978-0195110364. 
• (Evaluate the book: The Golden Rule and the Games People Play: The Ultimate Strategy for a Meaning-Filled Life, by Rabbi Rami Shapiro )
• (Evaluate the book: Doing Unto Others: The Golden Rule Revolution, by Mike Bushman )
• Humphrey, Sandra Mcleod (October 1, 1995). If You Had to Choose, What Would You Do?. Prometheus Books. pp. 115. ISBN 978-1573920100. 
• Let's Revive the Golden Rule, July 2009 TED Talk by Karen Armstrong

Especially for Children

• Winner, Ramona Moreno (October 1, 2009). The Wooden Bowl - El bol de madera. Brainstorm 3000. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0965117432. 
• Berenstain, Mike (September 28, 2008). The Berenstain Bears and the Golden Rule. Zonderkidz. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0310712473. 
• Keller, Laurie. Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners. Square Fish. pp. 40. ISBN 978-0312581404. 
• Lehman, Dana (June 15, 2007). Adventures at Walnut Grove (Mom's Choice Awards Recipient). Lehman Publishing. pp. 32. ISBN 978-0979268601. 
• Freedman, Russell (September 1, 2002). Confucius: The Golden Rule. Arthur A. Levine Books. pp. 48. ISBN 978-0439139571. 
• Hartley, Hermine (December 1, 2002). Manners Matter: Living the Golden Rule for Kids of All Ages. Barbour Publishing. pp. 208. ISBN 978-1586607234.