Topic: Abortion
Quote: You think most people would incorporate the golden rule? I don't think so--I think most people are willing to make a buck off of others (business ventures), land that job they want before someone else gets it, curse someone for cutting them off in traffic, get that parking spot before the guy coming around the corner gets it, or even get in an intentionally insulting dig to someone in a discussion forum such as this. The examples could go on and on ... I think a lot of people like to THINK they incorporate the golden rule, but at close, honest examination would find that they rarely do.
Response: The golden rule is not just one sided. It does not expect us to do all giving and no taking. I have expectations of how others should treat me (the taking part) but, to be consistent, I should realize that they have expectations of me (the giving part). Though people may want to win out in a job interview over someone more qualified, most don't morally expect that that should happen since they realize that that expectation would not be fair. They may make a buck off of a person but, unless they are con artists who lie to get that buck, most will do it in a way they consider fair, under laws they themselves would be willing to live under. (As a side note: Even most con artists might admit that, if they themselves were conned, then they would have deserved it for being suckers.) The rule of treating others as we would want or expect to be treated doesn't necessarily lead to a hugely generous society - just to one that seems to minimize suffering in a realistically achievable way.\n
0.0