Golden rule

A moral principle found among a wide diversity of peoples, which expresses the humanist attitude (*). Following are examples of the various ways it has been expressed. Rabbi Hillel: “What you do not wish for yourself, do not do to your neighbor.” Plato: “May I always do to others that which I would want them to do to me.” Confucius: “Do not do to another what you would not want others to do to you.” Jainist maxim: “Man must try to treat all creatures as he would want them to treat him.” In Christianity: “All those things that you would want men to do unto you, do also unto them.” Among the Sikhs: “Treat others as you would have them treat you.” Herodotus recorded the existence of the G.R. among various peoples of the ancient world. For N.H., the G.R. constitutes the ethical basis of every personal and social action.