en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Ru… Variations on the Golden Rule from many ancient sources, including ones I wasn't aware had one (Thales! the Mahabharata!)
Interesting differences: some versions say not to do to others what would hurt/harm/be bad for you if it were done to you.
Others say not to do to others what you would "blame" them for doing to you.
Others say not to do to others what you would "blame" them for doing to you.
Hillel's "what is hateful to yourself do not do to another" seems to be in the second category -- the word for "hate" seems to be used in other contexts for hating *people*. sefaria.org/Shabbat.31a.6?…
aka "don't do unto others what you would hate someone for doing to you."
The hadith (collected sayings of Mohammed) seem to be more in the first category: "As you would have people do to you, do to them; and what you dislike to be done to you, don't do to them."
This is a stronger demand. There are lots of ways I would *like* people to treat me, but I wouldn't necessarily hate or blame them if they didn't.
The Padmapurana's version is also clearly in the first category: "that which is unfavorable to us, do not do that to others."
(Of course people who know Arabic or Sanskrit should correct me if this is a translator's illusion!)
(Of course people who know Arabic or Sanskrit should correct me if this is a translator's illusion!)
Jesus's version en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_7… uses the Greek word θέλητε, which seems to mean "will", as in perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?do…. Willing, voluntary, wanted, etc.
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you:
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets". This seems ambiguous between categories.
do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets". This seems ambiguous between categories.
What do I "will" or "want" others to do to me? This seems to be less clearly a moral judgment than "what would you hate/blame people for doing?" and less clearly a plain benefit/harm calculation than "like/dislike" or "favorable/unfavorable".
Kant's critique of the Golden Rule applies to the "benefit/harm" formulations but not the "blame/hate" formulations.
A prisoner duly convicted of a crime might *want* to be released, but a reasonable prisoner wouldn't *blame* the judge for sentencing him.
A prisoner duly convicted of a crime might *want* to be released, but a reasonable prisoner wouldn't *blame* the judge for sentencing him.
Of the "Golden Rules" on the wiki page, only Hillel, Thales, and Isocrates use a blame/hate formulation, and maybe Jesus's depending on interpretation.
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