A New Morality, Part 2: The Negative Golden Rule

Here is an extract from the Happy Iconoclast website (click here). It is a relativist, humanist argument for the origins of morality and so against many of the theories we examine in our course (such as Kantian and Natural Law ethics).  The argument here is that only a negative golden rule makes sense “do not do the sort of harm to others you don’t want done to you”.  Do you agree?

Three billion years of evolution have imbued all life on earth with one basic motivation: All living organisms, including all human beings, always act in what they consider to be in their best self-interest. This unalterable motivation is the source for all other emotions of all living organisms. This motive is also the precursor of the Negative Golden Rule, which first appears in the writings of the nascent periods of major religions and civilizations.

The Biblical Golden Rule states: “Do unto others what you want done to yourself” The Negative Golden Rule states: “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself”. This nugget of wisdom goes back thousands of years. It appears in old Judaic teachings as well as in the ancient Tibetan Buddhist aphorism: “Let all hear this moral maxim and having heard it, keep it well: Whatever is not pleasing to yourself, do not that into others”.

The actual Golden Rule, as embedded in the New Testament of the Bible, is adverse to human emotional and evolutionary motivation. Unfortunately, St. Matthew was not familiar with human nature when he said in (7-12) “Therefor all things whatsoever ye would that men do to you, do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets”.

Immanuel Kant, too, knew little about human nature when he torturously invented his Categorical Imperative. Since this long-winded moral exhortation is nothing but a convoluted version of the Golden Rule, it is just as ineffective as the Golden Rule. Most people are not even aware of this Kantian moral imperative and nobody pays any attention to it. This type of philosophizing exposes Kant as just another one of the many philosophers who lacked a basic understanding of human nature and reality.

The same psychological principles that apply to the moral code of a society, also apply to individual members of a society who merely wish to enhance their coexistence with other members of their family or society. All human beings have an infinite number of wants, needs and desires. It is impossible to know and understand all of the wants and likes of another person.

Therefore, it is impossible and presumptive for a person to decide what may be desirable for another person, merely as a projection of his own desires. A projection of our own likes would rely on the unrealistic assumption that others have the same needs and desires as we do. We know from everyday observations that other people do not have the same likes as we do and, since we can merely surmise what others may like, we will almost certainly create dismay more often than happiness.

Even persons, who may have indicated a particular preference, may actually have entirely different wants. My friend may have heard me say that I like red sweaters and he then may have stated that he likes red sweaters, too. However, his statement does not mean he will rejoice if I make him a gift of a red sweater in order to make him happy. Although he may like red sweaters, he may actually very much prefer to wear blue sweaters. Instead of offending me by refusing the red sweater, which he will never wear, he is now wondering what equally unwanted gift he can bestow on me to reciprocate my favor, to make me happy, and to eliminate the undesired obligation created by my gift.

The broad applicability of the Negative Golden Rule explains the well-reasoned attitude some persons have towards gifts. Some people do not give gifts for any reason. To the great consternation of some well-meaning givers of gifts, they also refuse to accept gifts. These people enjoy lives that are uncluttered by undesired gifts and obligations.

If a person in this category does not own a particular item, he does not possess it because he does not want it. If he had wanted a specific item, he would have bought it a long time ago. If he had bought the item himself, he would have bought the particular product he desired, instead of an item that another person thought he might like.

Well-intentioned people who try to make themselves happy by erroneously following the Golden Rule, are the givers of most gifts. Therefore, most gifts end up in attics, at garage sales, or people simply discard them – with the exception of money.

Money is more versatile than other gifts. Alas, money is rarely the medium of gifts because money provides relatively little satisfaction to the person giving the money: It does not have the personal touch, for which a giver would like to be remembered.

Why does the Negative Golden Rule function so exquisitely when the Golden Rule is completely counter-productive? Human beings have an almost infinite variety of Likes and Wants. Since human resources are limited, we have to set priorities for our Likes. One person may deem an object desirable but another person may hate the same article. Some people like banana bread others detest the stuff. Some people chase after sex; others would rather read a good book. Our likes and wants are infinite but our dislikes are very limited.

Opposed to the myriad of Wants that differ dramatically from person to person, there are basic Dislikes that apply uniformly to all human beings. Absolutely nobody likes to be killed or injured, nobody likes to be enslaved and nobody likes to have his property stolen. These universal dislikes are the reason for the superior moral applicability of the Negative Golden Rule: “Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.”

The Negative Golden Rule can thus serve as the basic framework for a personal morality system. A moral code based on the Negative Golden Rule relies on the innate emotional and rational nature of human beings.

The promulgation of moral codes has always been a major perquisite of nascent religions. All religions embrace a dogma, a set of moral rules, specific to their particular religion. It is noteworthy that most religions have found that the Golden Rule does not work. Instead, they base their moral code on the highly effective Negative Golden Rule:

Buddhism: Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful. (Udana-Varga 5:18)

Judaism: What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man. That is the entire Law; all the rest is commentary. (Talmud, Shabbat 31a)

Hinduism: This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you. (Mahabharata 5:1517)

Confucianism: Surely it is the maxim of loving kindness: Do not unto others what you would not have them do to you. (Analects 15:23)

Zoroastrianism: That nature alone is good which refrains from doing unto another whatsoever is not god for itself.

Only Christianity and Islam include the Positive Golden Rule in their morality system, although the Golden Rule is inherently counterproductive to human morality and happiness.

The Christian faith actually uses two complimentary rules: The ineffective Biblical Golden Rule which proclaims: “All things whatsoever ye would that man should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt 7:12). However, most of the Ten Commandments are framed in negatives, as all moral codes must be in order to be effective.

Islam: No one is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself. (Sunnah) This moral code is also a version of the positive Golden Rule. It is very ineffective and ambiguous. Muslims, being normal human beings, follow it very selectively. This code relies on the unrealistic assumption that your brother has precisely the same needs and wants as you do.

If we wish to live in harmony with others and never give rise to a conflict with others, we must convert the Golden Rule to the Negative Golden Rule. Only the Negative Golden Rule is in alignment with innate human survival instincts: Do not do to others what you do not want done to yourself.

A moral code based on the principle of the Negative Golden Rule is very short and eliminates the uninvited imposition of our own desires on others. Only the Negative Golden Rule can demonstrate the principle of peaceful coexistence among men. The Positive Golden Rule is an invitation to meddle in the affairs of other persons, guided by our own preferences.

If we are determined to make somebody happy by providing gifts, why not give such gifts to ourselves and make ourselves happy? Nobody else in the whole world knows better than we do, precisely, what it is that we enjoy. If every person does what brings him happiness, instead of engaging in the speculative attempt to make other persons happy, it follows logically that all people will be happy.

The whole world would be brimming with happy persons, if only people would stop trying to make other people happy. It is much easier and much more rewarding to focus all of our efforts and resources on making ourselves happy.

It is sometimes difficult to gain insights into our own needs and to make ourselves happy by acting upon our needs. Most people find it easier and more convenient to try to find happiness in their futile attempt to make other people happy, regardless of the true preferences of those other people.

The moral stance of most religions further aggravates this situation. Religious organizations benefit from encouraging the indiscriminate giving of gifts. Religions proclaim, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Churches are frequently the beneficiaries of guilt-ridden adherents. These persons try to find happiness not only in their current life. By giving to their church, they try to open the door to a happier life after their death. They believe that their Church holds the key to this door. The morality of the Golden Rule has rewarded churches with immense wealth.