Portal:Bible/Featured article/June, 2006

The ethic of reciprocity (or the Golden Rule) is a general moral principle found in the Bible and virtually all religions and cultures, often as a fundamental rule. In Western culture, it is most commonly rendered by the active formulations:

• "Love your neighbor as yourself" as given by Moses in the Torah, (Leviticus 19:18) and affirmed by Jesus Luke 10:27 etc.

• "Do to others as you would have them do to you." as given by Jesus in the Gospels, Luke 6:13, Matt7:12 popularly rephrased as:
• "Treat others as you want to be treated".
• "Do ut des" Latin motto meaning I give that you may give.

Most other formulations are passive/negative. e.g.,

• "What you do not want others to do to you, do not do to others." - Chinese sage Confucius
• "What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man." - Jewish sage Hillel

• This traditional guiding rule was (and is) so highly valued that it has for centuries been known in English as the "Golden Rule".

Its universality suggests it is related to innate aspects of human nature (see altruism).

Others hold that the Golden Rule or ethics of reciprocity may replace all other moral principles or at least that it is superior to them. The golden rule does provide one with moral coherence -- it is a consistency principle. One's actions are to be consistent with mutual love and respect to other fellow humans. Arising as it does in nearly all written-language cultures on the Earth, the ethic of reciprocity is a tool that differing cultures can readily use in handling conflicts. Given the modern global trend of political, social, and economic integration (see globalisation), the ethical Golden Rule may be becoming even more relevant and important than ever.