I said I would work a post on morality,the rules people follow, so here it is. And it's gonna be long.
Moral codes are a funny thing, they guide us, but they also hold us back. To examine them we need to identify them.
Part of this is based on a Carl Sagan book that affected me greatly
So here's what I've got...
The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Almost nobody follows it. Turn the other cheek. When the Chinese Philosopher Kung-Tsi (Known as Confucius in the west ) Was asked about it the fifth century BC, his opinion of the Golden Rule (By then already well known), of repaying evil with kindness, he replied “Then with what will you repay kindness?” With a heartless adversary that other Cheek is gonna get slapped as well. So this one is no good.
Then there's the Silver Rule: Do NOT do unto others what you would not have them do unto you. This can be found a generation before Jesus, in the writings of Rabbi Hillel. The most inspiring Twentieth Century example of this rule are Mohandas Ghandi and Martin Luther King jr. They counseled people to not repay violence with violence, but not to be complaint or obedient, either. Nonviolent civil disobedience is what they advocated. They aimed at melting the hearts of their adversary,putting your body on the line for change. Showing the justice of your cause. This one isn't bad, but it WILL get your ass kicked. But, as we've seen, it might just change things.
“Repay Kindness with Kindness” said Confucius “But Evil with Justice” This is the Brass Rule, Do unto others as they do unto you... Until. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Sometimes formulated as "One good turn deserves another." If the enemy inclines towards peace, do thou also? Reward them when they're nice to us and punish them when they're not. We're not pushovers, but we're not unforgiving either, it sounds promising. This is the rule I follow. Brass.
Of baser coinage is the Iron Rule: Do unto others as you like, before they do it unto you. It is sometimes formulated as “He who has the gold makes the rules.” It is the secret maxim of many, and often the unspoken precept of the powerful.
Plus, there are a couple others I should mention, they explain a lot...
One is what I call the Tin Rule for it's flexibility: Suck up to those above you, and abuse those below you. It's really the Golden Rule for Superiors, and the Iron Rule for inferiors. It's also the norm for most primates in the wild.
The other one is Give precedence in all things to close relatives, and do as you like to others. This is called “Kin Selection.” I don't have a name for this one.
Now,I follow the Brass Rule, but there is a fatal flaw in it, unending vendetta. Anybody kicks this off and it's back to war. Even if everybody wants to end it all it takes is one fucking idiot to do something stupid and kick it back off.
Anyway, I promised you guys a post on the nature of Morality, so here.



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