The Golden Rule Reconsidered

    For increasing numbers of American church-goers, experience matters, conduct matters, relationships matter, but doctrines, dogmas, creeds and long catalogues of commandments are regarded as excess baggage. 

   This is not entirely unprecedented. Writing in 1929, Walter Lippman, one of the last century’s leading public intellectuals observed that, “In such a world as ours…authoritative commandments seem incredible. No prescription can now be written which people can naively and obediently follow.” 

   But if many of the traditional teachings about faith and morality now fall on deaf ears how, then, shall we live?  Today, many Americans blithely dismiss several of the Ten Commandments; idolatry, profanity, and Sabbath neglect are all deemed acceptable in today’s culture.  We no longer obey such decrees merely because some religious authority has told us that otherwise God will get you.  But a rudderless approach to moral reckoning doesn’t feel right either. So, what standard should we use in determining what’s right, what’s wrong and what it means to be a “good person?” 

    That’s where the Golden Rule comes in. It is minimalist yet seemingly comprehensive, and it has stood the test of time.  According to Boston University’s Stephen Prothero “The U.S. suburbs are now filled with ‘Golden Rule Christians’” for whom this maxim serves as a behavioral touchstone.   

    The formulation belongs, in fact, to an ancient and global wisdom tradition.  One version or another can be found in every corner of the world.  Although many assume its provenance to be Christian, four centuries before the birth of Christ the Greek philosopher Socrates opined, “Do to others as I would they should do to me.”

   Even earlier, the Chinese philosopher Kung-fu Tse (or Confucius) placed the Golden Rule at the center of his concept of justice: “Do not do unto others what you would not want done to yourself.” Buddha and Mahavira, the founders of Buddhism and Jainism respectively, expanded the scope of the Golden rule into the non-human sphere.  “A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated,” they admonished.   

    Nevertheless, many people report that they follow the Golden Rule for no other reason than it simply makes sense and feels intuitively correct. And in fact, it has its basis in the concept of reciprocity: we act toward others in such a way that they will be disposed to return the favor.  And reciprocity, ethicist Peter Singer observes, “is one of the few moral ideas that can claim to have universal acceptance.”

    Still, the Rule’s construction does vary, depending on the culture. The version most familiar to Westerners is stated in positive terms: Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you. But its negative counterpart is more common elsewhere: Do not do to others what you would not have them do unto you.”  And then, there is what the philosopher Marcus Singer calls the “inverted” form of the Rule: “Do unto others what they would have you do unto them.”

    But variations aside, the important thing to remember is that the Rule by itself isn’t all that helpful in our dealings with the nitty-gritty of daily life; it is just too general to be trustworthy for practical problem solving.  Confucius recognized its importance, but insisted that the Golden Rule serve only as a starting point for moral discernment.  “He expected people to do their own thinking…and he emphatically said he would not do people’s thinking for them,” Thomas Cleary writes.  

    “Do unto others, as we would have them do unto us.” But here’s the rub: do we always know what is best for ourselves?  Behavioral studies indicate that in considering our own well being, we often miscalculate.  The Golden Rule is no substitute for the hard work of self-examination and careful deliberation.  “It is intended,” Marcus Singer writes, “to provide a principle from which, or in accordance with which…more specific or concrete moral rules can be derived.” 

    Much as we might long for an easy, one-size-fits-all solution, if we are serious about forging a moral code, we should prepare ourselves for some heavy lifting.