What is the Best Rule for Ethical Behavior?

[superpaul3000]

I was thinking about the golden rule today ("do to others what you would like to be done to you"). This seems like a good rule at first but it only works for certain people. Consider a crazy person who wants somebody to murder them. They are in fact obligated by the golden rule to go out and murder someone. So that makes me think we need to find a better rule from which we derive our laws.

Next I thought of the silver rule (which is the negative golden rule, "Do not do to others as you would not have them do to you"). This looks a little better. The crazy person is no longer obligated to murder others. However, they are not in violation of the silver rule if they do go murder someone.

So then I thought about the platinum rule ("do to others as they want done to them"). This rule looks a lot better. Now the crazy person is not allowed to murder people who don't want to be murdered. The only problem with this rule is that it obligates people to satisfy others wants. This seems unreasonable. What if I want to do nothing? Either I need to go against my wants to satisfy others wants or they need to sacrifice their wants so I can keep doing nothing.

I think the best rule would be the negative platinum rule (don't do to others what they don't want done to them). This rule still stops the crazy person and nobody has to fight about whose wants are more important. Is there an official metal name for this rule?

I am an ethical relativist so I don't think that there is such a thing as the right rule. Perhaps just a rule that is better at making more people happy. What do you think?

 

[Andre]

Actually I thought that the golden rule was: he, who has the gold, makes the rules.

 

[superpaul3000]

Actually I thought that the golden rule was: he, who has the gold, makes the rules.

That is perhaps the most logical but I am talking about something else here.

 

[haael]

I set the rule: "If you want to do something to someone, do it to yourself first". Let's call it a mercury rule.

 

[superpaul3000]

I set the rule: "If you want to do something to someone, do it to yourself first". Let's call it a mercury rule.

lol, that would be fun to watch but you still run into the problem of crazy people hurting themselves and then others.

 

[Andre]

There is also the Brown rule:

"We are on Earth to make others happy"

http://www.the-happy-manager.com/happiness-charlie-brown.html

Lucy: Why do you think we're put here on Earth Charlie Brown?

Charlie Brown: To make others happy.

Lucy: I don't think I'm making anyone very happy. Of course nobody's making me very happy either. SOMEBODY'S NOT DOING HIS JOB!

 

[haael]

lol, that would be fun to watch but you still run into the problem of crazy people hurting themselves and then others.

All hurting would be non-fatal, though. There's always a chance that a freak would die before he hurted anyone. And he would not be able to harm too many people, since all his actions would accumulate on himself.

 

[superpaul3000]

There is also the Brown rule:

"We are on Earth to make others happy"

I've never heard of that one. Sounds good to me. It doesn't require us to satisfy everybody's wants.

 

[DanP]

I was thinking about the golden rule today ("do to others what you would like to be done to you"). This seems like a good rule at first but it only works for certain people. Consider a crazy person who wants somebody to murder them. They are in fact obligated by the golden rule to go out and murder someone. So that makes me think we need to find a better rule from which we derive our laws.

Next I thought of the silver rule (which is the negative golden rule, "Do not do to others as you would not have them do to you"). This looks a little better. The crazy person is no longer obligated to murder others. However, they are not in violation of the silver rule if they do go murder someone.

So then I thought about the platinum rule ("do to others as they want done to them"). This rule looks a lot better. Now the crazy person is not allowed to murder people who don't want to be murdered. The only problem with this rule is that it obligates people to satisfy others wants. This seems unreasonable. What if I want to do nothing? Either I need to go against my wants to satisfy others wants or they need to sacrifice their wants so I can keep doing nothing.

I think the best rule would be the negative platinum rule (don't do to others what they don't want done to them). This rule still stops the crazy person and nobody has to fight about whose wants are more important. Is there an official metal name for this rule?

I am an ethical relativist so I don't think that there is such a thing as the right rule. Perhaps just a rule that is better at making more people happy. What do you think?

Do to others what they want to do to you :P Preferably before they can act

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

I like Kant's categorical imperitive: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it become a universal law. In other words, act in such a way that if everyone else acted that way, you would like it.

 

[DanP]

In other words, act in such a way that if everyone else acted that way, you would like it.

Game theory much?

 

[superpaul3000]

I like Kant's categorical imperitive: Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it become a universal law. In other words, act in such a way that if everyone else acted that way, you would like it.

I have heard of this too. It seems to me to be very similar to the silver rule.

 

[magpies]

I'll go with the 10 commandments.

 

[CRGreathouse]

I think the best rule would be the negative platinum rule (don't do to others what they don't want done to them). This rule still stops the crazy person and nobody has to fight about whose wants are more important.

It doesn't impel that crazy person to murder others, true. But what about the other crazy person who thinks that other people want to be murdered?

 

[humanino]

golden rule[/url]

 

[Borg]

I like Benny Hill's version: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/do-unto-others-then-run/360860.html"