Four Golden Rules

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Update: now with 100% more Prisoner Dilemma game theory! {g} "Option A is made of fire!"


Some people believe the Golden Rule is that there is no Golden Rule. This kind of person worships the void, rejecting truth (perhaps to serve themselves or else perhaps in despair). And yet in doing so, they only commit intellectual suicide: for if there is no Golden Rule then neither can that be a Golden Rule.


Some people believe the Golden Rule is that there is a Golden Rule. This kind of person worships static existence or maybe mere power effect. They do at least acknowledge truth; but typically they expect the truth to be worthlessly simple--or maybe themselves if they have enough power!


Some people believe the Golden Rule is "Do not do to others what you'd rather not have done to you." These people worship nothing, not knowing what to worship; but at least they reject the worship of mere power as improper, and might be looking to worship more than themselves if they could find it.


Some people believe the Golden Rule is "Do unto others as you would be done by."

And those people worship active love and righteousness, justice and fair-togetherness--even if they do not yet believe that love between persons fulfilled is the ground of reality.

Comments

Jason Pratt said…
Behold!--probably my shortest post ever! {ggggg!}

JRP
6/09/2011 03:46:00 AM
Anonymous said…
Would it be accurate to say that "Do unto others as you would be done by." encompasses "Do not do to others what you'd rather not have done to you." but not the other way around? In other words, the latter lacks a positive imperative?
6/17/2011 08:31:00 PM
Jason Pratt said…
I'd say so, yep. (And I think plenty of other commentators over the years have agreed with this.)

JRP
6/18/2011 06:19:00 AM
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