The Golden Rule is an ethical code that states one has a right to just treatment, and a responsibility to ensure justice for others. It is also called the ethic of reciprocity. It is arguably the most essential basis for the modern concept of
human rights, though it has its critics.
[2] A key element of the golden rule is that a person attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her
in-group, with consideration. The Golden rule appears to have an
evolutionary basis, see
Reciprocity (evolution).
It exists in both positive (generally structured in the form of "do to others what you would like to be done to you") and negative form (structured in the form of "do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you"). While similar, these forms are not strictly the same; they differ in what to do with what you would like to be done to you and the other party would not like to be done upon it. The negative form, known as the
Silver Rule does directly not contain this while the positive form can exclude it indirectly with that you would like from others to check if you really like it, which is an example of using the golden rule in a context which makes it self-correcting, as argued in the
criticisms section.
The golden rule has its roots in a wide range of world cultures, and is a standard which different cultures use to resolve conflicts;
[3] it was present in the philosophies of ancient India, Greece, Judea and China. Principal philosophers and religious figures have stated it in different ways, but its most common English phrasing is attributed to
Jesus of Nazareth in the
Biblical book of
Matthew: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (
s:Bible (King James)/Matthew#7:12,
s:Bible (King James)/Matthew#22:39) The "Do unto others" wording first appeared in English in a Catholic Catechism around 1567, but certainly in the reprint of 1583.
[4]
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