Those who consider themselves to be ethical are willing to practice self-restraint as well as self-sacrifice in yielding to the needs and interests of those around them. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. This pretty much is a self explanation of what is considered to be The Golden Rule. This rule is based on the idea of shared interests. Dating back for centuries, the golden rule has been implemented in several different regions worldwide; although, it has been expressed in a variety of sentiments, the meaning remains intact. One could literally say that it has withstood the test of time. The golden rule is a moral principle we have used unconsciously for years. After three days of living by this rule in my everyday life, I was surprised to see how much of an impact it made in my routine and in the ones who were a part of it daily. There are skeptics who don’t believe that utilizing this rule in daily life is possible, but when the mind is closed or clouded with doubt, few things seem to penetrate which would allow skeptics to practice it.
Between the years of 469-322 BC in Greece, Aristotle and Socrates discussed in their philosophical views and ideals with others the moral principle of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. Even during their time, society thought it to be important to exercise that self-sacrifice and restraint in reference to the needs and interests of others. Socrates’ words differ from the rule we know today. He stated, “Do not do to others that which would anger you if others did it to you” (Bessel 2011). This focuses more on the negative effect that your behaviors have on others that would in turn cause one to get upset or angry. Aristotle’s words, on the other...
... middle of paper ...
...f truth has been planted and it is now up to them to lead, follow or fall to the wayside.
Works Cited
Aristotle. “We should behave to our friends.” Great Quotes. 2011. Web. 18 October 2011. < http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/ >
Bessel, Paul M. “Golden Rule”. 2011. Web. 16 October 2011.
King Jr., M.L. Stride Toward Freedom. The Montgomery Story. New York, NY: Harper and Brothers, Publishers. 1960
McKenna, Paul. “The Golden Rule Across the World’s Regions”. 2007. Scarboro Missions. Web. 16 October 2011.
New King James Version. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1982.
“The Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You speech”. Famous Speeches Index. n.d. Web. 18 October 2011.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested on April 12, 1963, in Birmingham, for having a protest without a proper permit. On the exact day King was arrested, eight clergymen from Alabama wrote a letter called “A Call for Unity.” The letter called for termination of civil activities and demonstrations and designated King an “outsider” and saying that outsiders were the problems in Birmingham and not the blacks that are from there. On April 16 King wrote “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, which was his responds to his fellow clergymen. He wrote the letter as a means to convince the clergymen and the white moderate that the nonviolent demonstrations that had got him arrested, were a necessity and to enlighten them on why the segregation laws in the southern states needed to be changed. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” King uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade the clergymen and convince them in assisting him in putting an end to segregation laws of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama.
Many students generally only learn of Dr. King’s success, and rarely ever of his failures, but Colaiaco shows of the failures of Dr. King once he started moving farther North. In the book, Colaiaco presents the successes that Dr. King has achieved throughout his work for Civil Rights. The beginning of Dr. King’s nonviolent civil rights movement started in Montgomery, Alabama, when Rosa Parks refused to move for a white person, violating the city’s transportation rules. After Parks was convicted, Dr. King, who was 26 at the time, was elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). “For 381 days, thousands of blacks walked to work, some as many as 12 miles a day, rather than continue to submit to segregated public transportation” (18).
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. King was a man of honor and respect, even in the troubling situations of serving jail time. People who were supposed to support him questioned his actions, but Dr. King still stood by what he believed in. In Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King hoped that the white religious leaders would come to his aid but instead found reluctance and opposition. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes his critics claims through the use of passionate tones, metaphors, and allusions.
Jacobus, Lee A. Martin Luther King Jr. ?Letter From Birmingham Jail.? A World Of Ideas: essential readings for college writers. Bedford/St. Martin?s, 2002. 179-97
King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from the Birmingham jail.” Why We Can't Wait 1963: 77-100.
17, No. 3, p. 252-259. Urmson, J.O., (1988). Aristotle’s Ethics (Blackwell), ch.1. Wilkes, K.V., (1978). The Good Man and the Good for Man in Aristotle’s Ethics. Mind 87; repr.
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
life: the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule states “do unto others as you would have them do unto
I chose to write about Aristotle and his beliefs about how the virtuous human being needs friends from Book VIII from Nicomachean Ethics. In this essay I will talk about the three different kinds of friendship that (Utility, Pleasure, and Goodness) that Aristotle claims exist. I will also discuss later in my paper why Aristotle believes that Goodness is the best type of friendship over Utility or Pleasure. In addition to that I will also talk about the similarities and differences that these three friendships share between one another. And lastly I will argue why I personally agree with Aristotle and his feelings on how friendship and virtue go hand in hand and depend on each other.
King, Jr., Martin L. "Letter from Birmingham Jail." English 121 Readings. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2010. 112-26. Print.
Gakuran, Michael. "Aristotle’s Moral Philosophy | Gakuranman • Adventure First." Gakuranman Adventure First RSS. N.p., 21 May 2008. Web.
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics. Rpt. in Ethical Theories: A Book of Readings second edition. Ed. A. I. Melden. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1967. 106-109.
Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means but always at the same time as an end (O’Neill,
Roth, John, et al. Ethics: Volume Two. California: Salem Press, Inc., 1994.Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, c. 350 B.C. Book VIII: Translated by W.D. Ross
the Golden Rule approach. We are told that it is right to be moral. This is an