Homemade poster of the golden rule of morality. Relationship between moral norms and legal norms

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The golden rule of morality.

The “Golden Rule of Morality” is a general ethical rule that can be formulated to act towards others as you would like others to act towards you. The negative formulation of this rule is also known: “Do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself.” The golden rule is a form of behavior that most fully embodies the uniqueness of morality. The defining basis of the world of culture is the relationship of people to each other; accordingly, relationships should be characterized by reciprocity. Therefore, a brief formula for the reciprocity of people’s relations with each other, their social relations, the humanity of these relations becameTHE GOLDEN RULE OF MORALITY .

What does the golden rule of morality teach?

What you don’t wish for yourself, don’t do to others.

Do not do what you condemn in others.

As you want people to do to you, so do to them.

The Golden Rule teaches how a person should act, what to orient his conscious choice towards, so that his life, in the part in which it depends on him, is, firstly, arranged in the best, perfect way; and, secondly, it was of decisive importance for him over that part of life that does not depend on him, over what is usually called the vicissitudes of fate. Thus, the golden rule of morality, considers a person as having power over his desires (actions), obliges him to act as an independent subject. It obliges a person to experience his desires before they are translated into actions. According tologic of the golden rule a person acts morally when he acts in accordance with the desires of others. Just as the golden rule prohibits a person from doing to others what he does not want for himself. It also prohibits a person from doing what he condemns (blames) in others. Such a double prohibition allows a person to carry out a moral assessment of his actions without difficulty. Putting yourself in the place of another means not just moving yourself into the place of another, but entering into the role of another, imagining yourself as a different person with different desires and interests. The golden rule prescribes not only to put oneself in the place of another, but also to put another in one’s place, that is, to exchange positions.

Thus, The golden rule is the rule of reciprocity . This means:

relationships between people are moral when they are interchangeable as responsible behavior;

the culture of moral choice lies in the ability to put oneself in the place of another;

must perform actions that can gain the approval of those to whom they are directed.

The Golden Rule doesn't answer the questionwhy should a person be moral . It answers the questionhow to be moral . His task is to help a virtuous person find an adequate moral solution. It deals with people wanting to be moral and struggling just to find the right way to do so. This can be compared to what holy books mean to religious people.

The Golden Rule does not direct a person to search for universal moral formulas. It is designed to help people find rules of behavior that they can present to themselves. It offers man the principle of reciprocity. In a word, this is not a formula by which a person evaluates the behavior of others, it is a formula by which he is guided in order to find a morally correct solution for himself in difficult cases.The golden rule does not answer the question of what others or people in general should do, it answers the question of what to do, how to act for me myself. And only in this connection and for this purpose does it oblige one to look at the situation through the eyes of others.

The golden rule of morality isrule of conduct . It talks about how to be moral for a specific person in a specific situation. The difference between them is approximately the same as between traffic rules, which regulate the state of rest and movement of cars in the city so that they do not collide with each other. The Golden Rule deals with the real desires of people, the maxims of their behavior. It talks about the extent to which real motives correspond to the motive of duty. The golden rule of behavior, as a rule, considers a person’s actions taking into account those immediate consequences that remain within the zone of his responsible behavior. There is a golden rulebehavior pattern . It relies on the mechanism of mutual assimilation. The scheme of moral thinking and behavior contained in the golden rule generalizes the real everyday experience of interhuman relations. It is an effective, working scheme that is successfully practiced by people every day, including those who have never heard of the golden rule itself or the controversy surrounding it. When we want to explain and justify our action, which is unpleasant to another, for example, as a leader we explain to a subordinate why we cannot fulfill his request, we say: “Enter my position.” When we disagree with someone's action, finding it unacceptable, we ask: “If they did that to you, would you like it?” All of these are exemplary cases when we think and act according to the logic of the golden rule of morality. It is precisely this deep rootedness that determines both the historical longevity of the golden rule and its special place in human culture.The only serious and responsible moral demand that we can and should make to others is these are our actions . And nothing more.

It was developed by famous thinkers and teachers in ancient times, but is still very relevant today. The Golden Rule of Conduct sets out an overarching moral principle regarding another person within any practical situation. It extends to everything that concerns human relationships.

What is the “golden rule of morality”?

It is present, without exaggeration, in every existing religion in one form or another. The “Golden Rule of Morality” is a fundamental canon that reflects the call of morality. It is most often perceived as its fundamental, most important truth. The moral rule in question is: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you” (Quod tibi fieri non vis alteri ne feceris).

The concentration of practical wisdom in it is one of the aspects of endless ethical reflections.

Historical facts regarding the rule in question

The period of its origin dates back to the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e., when the humanistic revolution took place. It acquired “golden” status in the 18th century.

It is known that earlier in tribal communities there was a custom regarding blood feud - talion (retribution equivalent to the crime committed). He acted as a kind of limiter of clan enmity, since this cruel law demanded equivalent punishment.

When tribal relations began to disappear, difficulty arose in a clear division, so to speak, into strangers and insiders. Economic ties outside the community often turned out to be more significant than family ties.

Thus, the community no longer sought to answer for the misdeeds of its individual members. In this regard, the talion loses its effectiveness, and the need arises to form a completely new principle that allows regulating interpersonal relationships that do not depend on gender. This is precisely the principle behind the rule: “Treat people the way you would like to be treated.”

Explanation of this ethical rule

In its various formulations there is one common link - “other”. It means any person (close or distant relative, acquaintance or stranger).

The meaning of the “golden rule of morality” is the equivalence of all people with regard to their freedom and opportunity to improve. This is a kind of equality in relation to the best human qualities and optimal standards of behavior.

If you ask the question “The “Golden Rule of Morality” - what is it?”, the answer should reveal not its literal interpretation, but the internal philosophical meaning that brought it to the status of “golden”.

Thus, this ethical rule presupposes advance awareness by an individual person of the consequences of his actions in the future relative to another person through the projection of himself into his place. It teaches you to treat others as you treat yourself.

In what cultures is it reflected?

At the same time (but independently of each other), the “golden rule of behavior” appeared in Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, as well as in ethical and philosophical teaching (Confucianism). One of its formulations can be seen in the Mahabharata (sayings of the Buddha).

It is known that Confucius, answering a question from his student about whether there was such a word that could guide one’s whole life, said: “This word is “reciprocity.” Don’t do to others what you don’t want for yourself.”

In ancient Greek works, it is found in Homer's classic poem "The Odyssey", in Herodotus's prose work "History", as well as in the teachings of Socrates, Aristotle, Hesiod, Plato, Thales of Miletus and Seneca.

In the Bible, this rule is mentioned twice: in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:12; Luke 3:31, Gospel) and in the conversations of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

In the Sunnah (sayings of Muhammad), the “golden rule of morality” states: “Do to all people what you would like people to do to you, and do not do to others what you would not want for yourself.”

Formulations of the “golden rule of morality”

In the past, attempts have been made to classify its form according to aesthetic or social criteria.

Thus, the German philosopher Christian Thomasius identified three main forms of the rule in question, while distinguishing the spheres of law, morality and politics, which he called decency and respect.

They look like this:

The principle of law is philosophically revealed as a kind of requirement, according to which a person should not do to another what he would not want to do to himself.
The principle of decency is presented as an ethical call for an individual to do to another subject what he himself would like to have done to him.
The principle of respect is revealed in the fact that a person should always act towards other people as he would like them to act towards himself.

The German researcher G. Rainer also proposed three formulations of the “golden rule”, which echo the interpretations discussed above (H. Thomasius).

The first formulation is a feeling rule, which says: “(Don’t) do to others what you (don’t) wish for yourself.”
The second - the rule of autonomy sounds: “(Do not) do yourself what you find (not) commendable in another.”
Third, the rule of reciprocity looks like this: “As you (don’t) want people to act towards you, you (don’t) do the same towards them.”

“The golden rule of morality” in proverbs and sayings

This moral canon is firmly entrenched in the mass consciousness of people, mainly in the form of folklore.

So, for example, the meaning of the “golden rule of morality” is reflected in a number of Russian proverbs.

“What you don’t love in another, don’t do that yourself.”
“Don’t dig a hole for someone else - you yourself will fall into it.”
“As it comes around, so it will respond.”
“As you shout into the forest, the forest will respond.”
“What you wish for people, you get for yourself.”
“Don’t spit in the well - you’ll have to drink some water yourself.”
“When you do evil to people, do not expect good from them,” etc.

So, the “golden rule of morality” in proverbs and sayings made it possible to apply it quite often in everyday life and pass it on from generation to generation in the form of easily remembered folklore.

"The Diamond Rule of Morality"

It is in addition to the previously discussed “golden” one. It was the diamond rule that was called because of its versatility, symbolizing human individuality, which is unique in its kind.

So, as stated earlier, the “golden rule of morality” says: “Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.” “Diamond” adds: “Do what no one can do but you.” Here the emphasis is on bringing benefits (purely individual for a particular person) to the maximum possible number of people.

In other words, the “diamond-gold rule of morality” states: “Act in such a way that your greatest abilities serve the greatest needs of others.” It is the uniqueness of a given individual (subject of ethical action) that acts as a universal criterion.

Thus, if the “golden rule of morality” is the transformation of a subject into an object (mental projection of oneself in the place of another person and the conscious refusal of those actions that one would not like oneself), the “diamond” canon, on the contrary, highlights precisely the irreducibility of the moral subject in question actions towards the target object, as well as its exclusivity and individuality.

“The Golden Rule of Morality” as an object of close attention of philosophers

Thomas Hobbes presented it as the basis of natural laws that play a decisive role in people's lives. It is simple enough for everyone to understand. This rule allows us to limit purely personal egoistic claims and thereby create a basis for the unity of all people within the state.

The English philosopher John Locke did not perceive the “golden rule of morality” as something given to a person from birth, but, on the contrary, pointed out that it is based on the natural equality of all people, and if they realize this through this canon, they will come to public virtue.

The German philosopher rather critically assessed the traditional formulations of the canon in question. In his opinion, the “golden rule of morality” in its explicit form does not make it possible to assess the degree of ethical development of an individual: a person can lower moral requirements for himself or take an egoistic position (I will not interfere with your life, do not interfere with me either) . It includes a person's desire in his moral behavior. However, it is precisely these desires, passions and dreams that often make a person hostage to his nature and completely cut off his morality - human freedom.

But still (the central concept of ethical teaching) acts as an exclusively philosophical clarification of the existing canon. According to Kant, the “golden rule of morality” states: “Act in such a way that the maxim of your will can always become the basis of universal legislation.” In this definition, the German philosopher is trying, so to speak, to close the loophole for even the smallest human egoism. He believed that human desires and passions should not replace the true ethical motives of an action. The individual is responsible for all possible consequences of his actions.

Two trends in human ethical self-determination from the point of view of modern European philosophers

The first presents a person as a social individual who is subject to generally accepted morality.

The second trend is focused on understanding a representative of the human race as an individual striving for a corresponding ideal (maturity, integrity, self-development, self-actualization, individualization, realization of the inner essence, etc.), and morality as a path to achieve internal self-improvement.

If in modern society we say to philosophers: “Formulate the “golden rule of morality”,” the answer will not be its standard formulation, but a deeper emphasis on the person considered in it, acting as the subject of ethical action.

The decline in moral standards in modern society

The life of society throughout the world has become significantly impoverished since the beginning of the 20th century. This is due to the dominant position today of economic problems and related ideological and political issues (almost all people’s actions are aimed at accumulating primarily material wealth).

In the constant race for wealth, man neglected spirituality, stopped thinking about internal self-improvement, and began to ignore the ethical side of his actions. This trend has been evident since the end of the 19th century. Even F. M. Dostoevsky wrote about the unbridled thirst for money that overwhelmed the people of that era (more than a century ago) to the point of stupor (“The Idiot”).

Most people have forgotten, and many did not even know, what the “golden rule of morality” says.

The result of the processes currently taking place may be stagnation in the development of civilization or even evolution will come to a dead end.

A significant role in the fading morality of society regarding Russia and Germany was played by the corresponding ideologies that arose in all its layers during the rise to power of the Bolsheviks and Nazis, respectively.

The low ethical level of humanity, as a rule, is clearly recorded at critical moments in history (revolutions, civil and interstate wars, instability of the state order, etc.). An example is the blatant violations of moral norms in Russia: during the civil war (1918-1921), during the Second World War (1939-1945), during the era of Stalinist industrialization (20-30s) and our days in the form of an “epidemic” of terrorist attacks. All these events led to one deplorable result - the death of a large number of innocent people.

Moral aspects are most often not taken into account in the process of solving government issues: during economic, social, agricultural and industrial reforms (usually the result is negative environmental consequences).

The unfavorable current situation in our country in almost all areas of people's lives is a direct consequence of government miscalculations regarding the existing ethical level of society at the time of the next government decision.

Recent years have been marked by a deterioration in the criminal situation in our country: the number of contract and especially cruel murders, bullying, theft, rape, bribery, vandalism, etc. has increased. All this most often goes unpunished, as the percentage of crimes solved has decreased.

A curious example of the disorder and chaos that currently reigns in our country is a sensational story that occurred in 1996: two people were detained for committing an act of theft from the Russian Government House of a cardboard box containing half a million US dollars. Soon an official statement was received that the owner of the money did not show up, and therefore this criminal case was closed and the investigation was terminated. The criminals instantly became “benefactors of the state”, as it turns out that they found a “treasure”, and the seized money was sent to the state treasury.

It is clear to everyone that the owner of the money acquired it dishonestly, otherwise he would have immediately laid claim to it. In this case, the prosecutor's office should have conducted an investigation to determine the source of the appearance of this box with a very significant amount of money. Officials are tactfully keeping silent about why this did not happen. It remains to be assumed that the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the courts and the prosecutor’s office cannot cope with the current criminal situation in the country. And the reason for this is, apparently, the corruption of a large number of government officials.

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« Golden Rule of Morality" - a general ethical rule that can be formulated as “Treat people the way you want to be treated.” The negative formulation of this rule is also known: “don’t do to others what you don’t want to do to yourself.”

The golden rule of morality has been known since ancient times in the religious and philosophical teachings of the East and West; it underlies many world religions: Abrahamic, Dharmic, Confucianism and ancient philosophy and is a fundamental world ethical principle.

Being an expression of some general philosophical and moral law, the golden rule can have different forms in different cultures. Scientists and philosophers have made attempts to classify forms of the Golden Rule according to ethical or social criteria.

The thinker Christian Thomasius identifies three forms of the “golden rule”, distinguishing the spheres of law, politics and morality, calling them, respectively, the principles of right (justum), decency (decorum) and respect (honestum):

the principle of law requires that a person should not do to anyone else what he does not want someone else to do to him;

the principle of propriety is to do to another what he would have another do to him;

The principle of respect requires that a person act as he would like others to act.

Two aspects of the rule can be noticed:

negative (denying evil) “thou shalt not...”;

positive (positive, affirming good) “do...”.

The Russian philosopher V.S. Solovyov called the first (negative) aspect of the “golden rule” the “rule of justice”, and the second (positive, Christov) aspect the “rule of mercy”

Ancient philosophy

Although the golden rule is not found in its pure form in Aristotle’s works, there are many consonant judgments in his ethics, for example, to the question: “How to behave with friends?” Aristotle answers: “The way you would like them to behave with you.”

In Judaism

In the Pentateuch: "Love your neighbor as yourself"(Lev. 19:18).

The Jewish sages consider this commandment to be the main commandment of Judaism.

According to a well-known Jewish parable, a pagan who decided to study the Torah came to Shammai (he and Hillel (Babylon) were the two leading rabbis of his time) and said to him: “I will convert to Judaism if you tell me the whole Torah while I stand on one leg." Shammai drove him away with a rod. When this man came to Rabbi Hillel, Hillel converted him to Judaism, uttering his golden rule: “Do not do to your neighbor what you hate: this is the whole Torah. The rest is explanations; now go and study"

In Christianity

In the New Testament, this commandment was repeated several times by Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel of Matthew (just read) “In everything therefore, whatever you want people to do to you, do so to them, for this is the law and the prophets.”(Matt. 7:12), “love your neighbor as yourself”(Matt. 19:18-20), “Jesus said to him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind: this is the first and greatest commandment; the second is similar to it: love your neighbor as yourself; On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."(Matt. 22:38-40)

This rule was also repeated many times by the Apostles of Jesus Christ.

In the Epistle to the Romans: (just read) “For the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not covet [someone else’s], and all the others are contained in this word: love your neighbor as yourself.”(Rom. 13:8-10).

In the Acts of the Apostles: (just read) “For it pleases the Holy Spirit and us not to place any more burden on you than this necessary: to abstain from things sacrificed to idols and blood, and things strangled, and fornication, and not to do to others what you do not want to do to yourself. By observing this, you will do well. Be healthy"(Acts 15:28,29).

St. Augustine wrote about the golden rule in the Confessions in the 1st book (chapter 18) in a negative interpretation: “ And, of course, knowledge of grammar lives no deeper in the heart than the consciousness imprinted on it that you are doing to others what you yourself would not want to tolerate.».

Pope Gregory the Ninth in 1233, in a letter to a French bishop, stated: Est autem Judæis a Christianis exhibenda benignitas quam Christianis in Paganismo existentibus cupimus exhiberi (“Christians should treat the Jews in the same way as they would like to be treated themselves in pagan lands ").

In Islam

The golden rule is not found in the Koran, but it exists simultaneously in the positive and negative interpretation of the Sunnah as one of the sayings of Muhammad, who taught the highest principle of faith: “Do to all people what you would like people to do to you, and not do to others what you would not wish for yourself.”

Confucius

Confucius formulated the golden rule in a negative interpretation in his Conversations and Judgments. Confucius taught “Do not do to others what you do not wish for yourself.” The student “Tzu Kung asked: “Is it possible to be guided throughout your life by one word?” The teacher replied: “This word is reciprocity. Don’t do to others what you don’t wish for yourself.” Otherwise, this question and answer sounds like: “ Is there one word by which you can act throughout your life? The Master said: Love for one's neighbor. What you don’t wish for yourself, don’t do to someone else.”"

Criticism of the golden rule

Immanuel Kant formulates a practical imperative close to his famous categorical one:

... act in such a way that you always treat humanity, both in your own person and in the person of everyone else, as an end and never treat it only as a means.

Discussing the feasibility of this imperative (principle), in a footnote to his second remark he writes:

However, one should not think that the trivial quod tibi non vis fieri etc. can serve as a guiding thread or principle here. After all, this position, although with various restrictions, is only deduced from the principle; it cannot be a universal law, since it contains neither the basis of duty towards oneself, nor the basis of the duty of love towards others (after all, some would willingly agree that others should not do good to them, if only they would not have to show benefits to others ), nor, finally, the basis of debt from obligations towards each other; after all, the criminal, based on this, would begin to argue against his punishing judges, etc.

Categorical imperative Watch this page The categorical imperative (from the Latin imperativus - imperative) is a concept in I. Kant’s teaching on morality, which represents the highest principle of morality. The concept of the categorical imperative was formulated by I. Kant in his work “Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals” (1785) and studied in detail in “Critique of Practical Reason” (1788). According to Kant, thanks to the presence of will, a person can perform actions based on principles. If a person establishes for himself a principle that depends on some object of desire, then such a principle cannot become a moral law, since the achievement of such an object always depends on empirical conditions. The concept of happiness, personal or general, always depends on the conditions of experience. Only the unconditional principle, i.e. independent of any object of desire, can have the force of a genuine moral law. Thus, the moral law can only consist in the legislative form of the principle: “act in such a way that the maxim of your will could be a universal law.” Since man is a subject of possible unconditional good will, he is the highest goal. This allows us to present the highest principle of morality in another formulation: “act in such a way that you always treat humanity, both in your own person and in the person of everyone else, as an end, and never treat it only as a means.” The moral law, independent of extraneous causes, is the only thing that makes a person truly free. At the same time, for a person, the moral law is an imperative that categorically commands, since a person has needs and is subject to the influence of sensory impulses, and therefore is capable of maxims that contradict the moral law. The imperative means the relation of the human will to this law as an obligation, i.e. internal rational compulsion to moral actions. This is the concept of debt. Man, therefore, must strive in the endless progress of his maxims towards the idea of a morally perfect law. This is virtue - the highest that finite practical reason can achieve. In his essay “Religion within the Limits of Reason Only,” touching on the question of the relationship between religion and morality, Kant writes: Morality, insofar as it is based on the concept of man as a free being, but precisely for this reason binding himself to unconditional laws through his reason, does not need either in the idea of another being above him, in order to know his duty, nor in other motives than the law itself, in order to fulfill this duty. ...after all, what does not arise from himself and his freedom cannot replace his lack of morality. Consequently, morality for itself does not at all need religion; thanks to pure practical reason it is self-sufficient.

Fundamental moral requirement: “(not) do unto others as you (wouldn’t) want them to do unto you.” Historically, this requirement has appeared under different names: a short saying, a principle, ... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia

One of the main moral requirements that sets the principle of behavior towards other people: do not treat others as you would not want them to treat you, i.e. people should treat each other as equals - this is the quintessence... ... Thematic philosophical dictionary

THE GOLDEN RULE OF MORALITY- - one of the oldest moral commandments contained in proverbs and sayings of many peoples: “(Do not) act towards others as you would (not) want them to act towards you.” Confucius, to a student’s question, is it possible to... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

"Golden" rule of behavior- one of the oldest normative requirements expressing the universal content of morality, formulated in different forms among almost all peoples. The text of the rule is given in the Gospel: “(Do not) act towards another as you would (not) ... ... Fundamentals of spiritual culture (teacher's encyclopedic dictionary)

Golden Rule- one of the ancient normative requirements that expresses the universal content of morality: (Do not) act towards others as you would (not) want them to act towards you. Historically, this requirement has appeared... ... Pedagogical terminological dictionary

rule- RULE 1, a, cf The principle that serves as a guide in something, the starting judgment, the attitude that underlies something. ... All my relatives told me that at school my children would lose the moral rules they had acquired at home and would become freethinkers (V. ... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Guseinov, Abdusalam Abdulkerimovich (b. 03/08/1939) special. on ethics; Dr. Philosopher sciences, prof. Member corr. RAS, active member a number of societies. academies Genus. in the village Alka dar (Dagestan). In 1961 he graduated from philosophy. Ft Moscow State University, in 1964 aspirant. the same f ta. From 1965 to 1987... ... Large biographical encyclopedia

Abdusalam Abdulkerimovich Guseinov Date of birth: March 8, 1939 (1939 03 08) (73 years old) Place of birth: Alkadar, Kasumkent district, Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic Main interests: ethics ... Wikipedia

Guseinov Abdusalam Abdulkerimovich (Director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences) Guseinov Abdusalam Abdulkerimovich (March 8, 1939, village of Alkadar, Kasumkent district, Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) Soviet and Russian philosopher, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (2003), Doctor of Philosophy (1977), ... ... Wikipedia

Books

Mathematical foundations of the Golden Rule of Morality. The theory of a new, altruistic balancing of conflicts as opposed to the “selfish” equilibrium according to Nash, Guseinov A.A.. The golden rule of morality says: 171; Act towards another as you would like him to act towards you 187;. As a mathematical model of the Golden Rule...
Mathematical foundations of the Golden Rule of Morality. The theory of a new, altruistic balancing of conflicts as opposed to the “egoistic” Nash equilibrium, A. A. Guseinov, V. I. Zhukovsky, K. N. Kudryavtsev. The golden rule of morality says: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The mathematical model of the Golden Rule was chosen...