Personal Narrative: The Golden Rule

1. The voting game was interesting, and it was an analogy to real life situations. Initially I was confused and really did not understand the game. At first I assumed that if I voted the number 1 I would not receive any money, and if I voted the number 0, I would receive money. I was thinking this was a tricky game, and everyone would vote 0 because if they voted 1 they wouldn’t receive any money. I was wrong. Only fifteen students voted for the number 0: the rest voted for the number 1. I received $30,000 while the people who voted the number 1 received $38,000, $8,000 more! I then understood the game and how I should vote, but then a classmate pleaded his case and hoped everyone would vote 0, so the money we received would increase and we

I would hope that everyone behaves as we wish others to behave, because it shows you have integrity. Self-interest is not unethical; if you do not behave as we wish others to behave that is your personal choice and based on your ethical values. Many would think of “The Golden Rule”. However, it is easier to tell others to live by this rule than to actually put this rule into action. According to a newsletter written by William Scott Green, called Parsing Reciprocity: Questions for the Golden Rule, “The Golden Rule is easier to endorse than to enact. As a general moral principle or as an abstract statement of ethical value, the Golden Rule makes intuitive sense and enjoys wide acceptance across religions and cultures. But the generality and abstraction that enable its broad appeal make the Golden Rule problematic as a directive for practical action. Indeed, on Gert’s analysis, it is possible that the Golden Rule must be read figuratively or very expansively in order to be used, surely a challenge for any basic moral principle. The Golden Rule can be accepted unambiguously but applied only after considerable reflection and qualification.” After reading this article, it confirms to me that it is easier to tell others to behave as we wish others to behave than to actually do it. People will live by “The Golden Rule” only if they choose to in certain situations. My answer to this question does not conflict with my answer to question