Ethic of reciprocity

The ethic of reciprocity is a general philosophical principle found in virtually all religionsand moral codes, often as a fundamental rule. In Western culture, the most common formulation is known as The Golden Rule -- "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" -- based on the Sermon on the Mount, Gospel of Matthew7:12 of the Christian Bible. However, similar injunctions can be found in virtually all culturesand societies. Comparisons have been drawn between the principle of reciprocal ethics and karma, a concept in Hinduism.

The ethic of reciprocity should not be confused with tit for tat, revenge, an eye for an eye, retributive justiceor the law of retaliation. The ethic of reciprocity is not about retaliation; it is about treating others with the same respect and consideration as one wishes to be treated. A key element of the ethic of reciprocity is that a person attempting to live by this rule treats all people, not just members of his or her in-group, with consideration.

History

• ~1970-1640 BCE"Do for one who may do for you, / That you may cause him thus to do." - The Taleof the Eloquent Peasant 109-110, Ancient Egypt, tr. R.B. Parkinson.
• ~1280 BCE"You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your countrymen. Love your fellow as yourself: I am the LORD." - Tanakh, new JPStranslation, Leviticus19:18, Judaism.
• ~700 BCE"That nature only is good when it shall not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self." - Dadistan-i-Dinik94:5, Zoroastrianism.
• ? BCE "Whatever is disagreeable to yourself do not do unto others." - Shayast-na-Shayast13:29, Zoroastrianism.
• ~500 BCE"Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful." - Udana-Varga5:18, Buddhism.
• ~500 BCE"The Sage...makes the self of the people his self." Tao Te Ching Ch 49, tr. Ch'u Ta-Kao, Unwin Paperbacks, 1976. Daoism
• ~500 BCE"What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others." Analects of Confucius 15:24, Confucianism, tr. James Legge.[1]
• ~500 BCE"Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. To be able to judge of others by what is nigh in ourselves;? this may be called the art of virtue." Analects of Confucius 6:30, Confucianism, tr. James Legge. [2]
• ~500 BCE"one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life [is] reciprocity. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire." - Doctrine of the Mean13.3, Confucianism.
• ~500 BCE"Therefore, neither does he cause violence to others nor does he make others do so." - Acarangasutra 5.101-2, Jainism.
• ~200 BCE"What you hate, do not do to anyone." - Deuterocanonical Bible, NRSV, Tobit4:15, Roman Catholic Churchand Judaism.
• ~150 BCE"This is the sum of duty: Do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you." - Mahabharata 5:1517, Brahmanismand Hinduism.
• ~100 CE"What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary." - Hillel the Elder; Talmud, Shabbat 31a, Judaism.
• ~100 CE"In everything, do unto others as you would like them to do unto you; that is the meaning of the lawand the prophets." - Sermon on the Mount, NRSV, Gospel of Matthew7:12, Christianity
• ~100 CE"What you would avoid suffering yourself, seek not to impose on others." - Epictetus.
• ~7th century"Do unto all men as you would wish to have done unto you; and reject for others what you would reject for yourself." - Hadith, Islam.
• ? CE "And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself." - Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, 30, Bahá'í Faith.
• ~1870 CE"He should not wish for others what he does not wish for himself." - Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Bahá'í Faith.
• 1999 CE"don't do things you wouldn't want to have done to you." - British Humanist society, Humanism.

Criticism

The affirmative version of the rule in the Egyptian, Leviticus, Confucian (art of virtue), Christian, Bahá'í, and Muslim versions call for active interactions; a logical loophole of which would allow a masochistto harm others without their consent. This differs from the negative/passive version of the rule, sometimes called the silver rule. George Bernard Shawsaid that "The golden rule is that there are no golden rules". However it is clear that most religious understandings of the principle imply its use as a virtue toward greater lovefor one's neighbour rather than as a deontologicalor consequentialistrule.

See also

• Golden Rule (ethics), treating the useful, practical side of the golden rule. Thus, it and the article above are complementary.
• Ethics in religion
• Other
• Reciprocity (social psychology)
• Tit for tat
• Reciprocal altruism

External links

• The Rules of the Game
• The Golden Rule
• The Golden Rule in Religion
• The Golden Rule in World Religions
• Shared belief in the Golden Rule
• Rosicrucians: The Golden Rulede:Goldene Regel

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethic+of+reciprocity Wikipedia article Ethic of reciprocity.