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From: larry@grkermit.UUCP (Larry Kolodney)
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: "Golden Rule" as the basis for morality
Message-ID: <483@grkermit.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 7-Jul-83 08:56:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: grkermit.483
Posted: Thu Jul  7 08:56:47 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 7-Jul-83 18:57:31 EDT
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	From: wex@ittvax.UUCP (Alan Wexelblat)

	It has been suggested that we use a form of the Golden Rule as a basis for
	morality.  As I take it, the Golden rule (GR) says: "Do unto others what you
	would like them to do unto you." Does this mean that a worshipper of the
	Crocodile god is intended to go about sacrificing everyone in sight to his
	god, simply because (for him) that is the ultimate bliss, and he really
	wishes someone would sacrifice him?  Should a heroin addict go and shoot up
	everyone he can find, since he would *love* to have a fix himself?


A better definition of the Golden Rule is:


Do unto others as you would have them do unto you in similar circumstances.

Basicly, this means take the context into account.  If I'm a heroin addict
and you are not, I should not give you heroin because you don't want it.  If
I felt that I should give you heroin anyway because that is the only way to
find true happines and you don't know what's good for you than I have made
a mistake about heroin, but my moral basis is still correct.  If I felt that
heroin is the best thing for my friend, I would be morally obliged to give it
to him.

-- 
Larry Kolodney #13 (I try harder)
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