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by PaulDavisThe1st 1000 days ago
> "do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

This one doesn't just have edge cases, it has a hole large enough to float an aircraft carrier through it. My grandparents (all deceased at this point) did not want to be treated in the same way I want(ed) to be treated.

The much less absurd version is: "treat other people the way they would like to be treated". Still edge cases, but the holes are much smaller.
1 comments
mensetmanusman 1000 days ago
Doesn’t work on the context of mental illness.
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mcpackieh 1000 days ago
It breaks down when dealing with anybody who selfishly wants more than they deserve. A child stamps his feet and demands the biggest piece of cake, should you give it to him? Treating people the way they want to be treated rewards greed and selfishness.

On the other hand, treating other people the way you wish to be treated is self-moderating. If I am greedy, the golden rule commands me to be generous to others. If I encounter somebody who's greedy, the golden rule only obliges me to give them whatever I would think myself entitled to.

The golden rule can't make everybody happy, and isn't supposed to. If there is some delta between the way your grandparents expect to be treated and the way you want to be treated, so be it. I don't think this is a reasonable objection to the golden rule.

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PaulDavisThe1st 1000 days ago
I think you meant to reply to my comment, rather than a comment on that.

When it comes to materialistic "treating", sure I agree. But in the realm of emotion and psychology, I stand by what I said: treats others as they wish to be treated (to the extent possible).

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mcpackieh 999 days ago
> But in the realm of emotion and psychology, I stand by what I said: treats others as they wish to be treated (to the extent possible).

How do you deal with narcissists, who feel entitled to praise and adoration beyond what they can reasonably be entitled? Do you humor them to the extent possible? And if you don't humor narcissists like that, what is your process for determining what is or isn't reasonable? Probably, that process involves you imagining yourself in their shoes and thinking about what you might reasonably feel entitled to in their position, e.g. applying the golden rule.

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