A lil philosophy fun with the Golden Rule! want to add your counterexamples? ?

Question

Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would want done unto you, or do not do unto others as you would not want done unto you...

I was reading an article about how both are flaws in wording.

Counter example: A man needing to lose weight for health purposes. He does not want food offered to him because he's on a diet. Because of this 'rule' he should not offer food to others, even a starving man..

Now some will argue that the rule means what you should do if you were in the mindset as the other like the starving man. If you were hungry, you'd want food, right? But what if you were a crazed driver? you would not want to be stopped if you wanted to rampage through the city, so does that mean no one should stop you?

I'm only doing this for fun and just to see what counterexamples of this rule you can come up with :)

Answer 1

you have it wrong! the "golden rule" is this, "he who has the gold makes the rules"!

Answer 2

The answer lies in the application of Love.  Jesus himself explained that the second greatest commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself." (Mt 22:26ff).

Answer 3

An S&M enthusiast is a great example.  If someone derives pleasure from being flogged with a leather whip, it actually causes him or her pain to with hold the flogging...

But as others have said, this rule isn't meant for literal interpretation, it is meant to inform your general attitude towards others.

Answer 4

Well you bring up a pretty good point.

First I would like to say,  That the law given in the bible is just a measuring tool, to show how far you are from God in sin.

The golden rule was said to Christians to reinforce the second greatest command of Jesus.  Love thy neighbor as you would love yourself.  And if you are a Christian you have some pretty strong obligations to show love in many ways. Just like Jesus has done for us.

With all that stated.  The crazed driver that is driving on a rampage and does not want to be stopped no matter how many people he kills.  If someone was to run him over in the same way then he has to accept it because of the golden rule which he is supposedly following.

  

Answer 5

A really good time can be had curled up with a good book.

Sport is incomprehensible.  

Being in a crowd is the opposite of an enjoyable experience.

Well, to me, but expecting that to apply to most other people doesn't work.

Being a member of a small minority who frequently look at the world differently from the rest, I had to learn, painfully, that the much vaunted "do as you would be done by"  is dreadfully flawed, even while many people use it instinctively.

Not long at a new job, it was my birthday, and the people there drew from their own experiences and threw me a surprise party.  I'd rather go to the dentist than a party...  

A tougher one: would you report your brother for drunk driving, if it was the only way to stop him?

I would, in an instant.  Family aren't exempt from the law.  But I've encountered enough people who think exactly the opposite. Their "golden rule" appeared to be: "family covers all faults".  What they expected for themselves, and what they'd do for their family.

Answer 6

your counter examples are just teeming with fallacy!

are YOU on a diet?

Answer 7

I think the assumption is that the person using the rule has over a 60 IQ.

"Counter example: A man needing to lose weight for health purposes. He does not want food offered to him because he's on a diet. Because of this 'rule' he should not offer food to others, even a starving man.."

Well, if I was the starving man, what would I want done to me?  Someone to give me food.  So I would give him food because if I was in his place that is what I would want done.  Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you assumes you put yourself in their place.  I am not on fire so I wouldn't want anyone to spray me with a fire extinguisher.  So if I came across someone on fire, should I not spray them with a fire extinguisher?  The example you posted is the dumbest counter example I have ever seen.

Answer 8

The problem is (of course) the literal interpretation. The deeper meaning of "as you would want done unto you" is respect and intention. It says much about us as a species that our deep analogical wisdoms are undone by simple counterexamples.