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eBook Ethics and the Golden Rule ePub

by Harry J Gensler

Author: Harry J Gensler
Language: English
ISBN: 0415806860
ISBN13: 978-0415806862
Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (March 18, 2013)
Pages: 256
Category: Humanities
Subcategory: Other
Rating: 4.5
Votes: 124
Formats: lrf docx lrf azw
ePub file: 1136 kb
Fb2 file: 1880 kb

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In this book, Harry J. Gensler defends the golden rule and addresses all of the major philosophic objections, pointing out several common misunderstanding and misapplications.

In this book, Harry J. Gensler first discusses golden-rule reasoning and how to avoid the main pitfalls. He then relates the golden rule to world religions and history, and to areas like moral education, egoism, evolution, society, racism, business, and medicine. The book ends with a discussion of theoretical issues (like whether all morality reduces to the golden rule, which the author argues against).

With this book, Harry Gensler creates a tremendous platform for Golden Rule success, providing a deeply considered, realistic means of applying the Golden Rule to everyday situations

With this book, Harry Gensler creates a tremendous platform for Golden Rule success, providing a deeply considered, realistic means of applying the Golden Rule to everyday situations. Helpfully, he addresses many of the fallacies used to attack the concept of "doing unto others as we would have done unto ourselves" through short, well-written and thought-provoking stories. Gensler’s GR is the principle that creates healthy communication. It adjusts desires, inclinations in a logical and calibrated response in human interactions.

It is commonly accepted that the golden rule-most often formulated as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"-is a unifying element between many diverse religious traditions, both Eastern and Western. The book ends with a discussion of theoretical issues

I must die. But must I die bawling?' Epictetus, a Greek stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicropolis in the early.

Authors: Gensler, Harry . SJ. Ethics and the Golden Rule (Paperback). Additional Product Features. Place of Publication. Read full description. See details and exclusions.

It is commonly accepted that the golden rule―most often formulated as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"―is a unifying element between many diverse religious traditions, both Eastern and Western. Its influence also extends beyond such traditions, since many non-religious individuals hold up the golden rule as central to their lives.

Yet, while it is extraordinarily important and widespread, the golden rule is often dismissed by scholars as a vague proverb that quickly leads to absurdities when one attempts to formulate it in clear terms. In this book, Harry J. Gensler defends the golden rule and addresses all of the major philosophic objections, pointing out several common misunderstanding and misapplications. Gensler first discusses golden-rule reasoning and how to avoid the main pitfalls. He then relates the golden rule to world religions and history, and to areas like moral education, egoism, evolution, society, racism, business, and medicine. The book ends with a discussion of theoretical issues (like whether all morality reduces to the golden rule, which the author argues against).

Ethics and the Golden Rule offers two introductory chapters, the first is simpler and the second more technical; a reader may start with either or both. One can then read any combination of further chapters, in any order, depending on one’s interests; but Chapters 13 and 14 are technical and assume one has read Chapter 2. This is "a golden-rule book for everyone," accessible to a wide readership.

Agalen

The Golden Rule is followed by all of the major religions. It is even followed by people with no religious faith. What other belief in the world is shared by just about every person in the entire world!? The Golden Rule is literally our best shot at bringing a divided world back together.

Some people believe that the Golden Rule is some shallow rule learned by kindergarten children. One of the great things about the Golden Rule is that it applies to each stage of life. As we mature and become more aware of how our actions effect others, we begin to move through the various stages of the Golden Rule. Each stage builds upon the previous stage.

Another reason the Golden Rule is so important is because it can easily test our consistency in regards to the biggest questions that previous generations had to struggle with and more importantly, what our generation has to struggle with. For example, if we lived three hundred years ago, we would simply ask ourselves, "Am I willing that if I were born with black skin then I be enslaved?" If the answer is no, then we are being inconsistent if we own slaves and we would be breaking the Golden Rule. The same concept applies equally to our generation in regards to how we treat animals and others who are lower than us. As time has gone on, the collective human conscience has become better and better at following the Golden Rule. While our ancestors owned slaves, slavery is viewed as evil to our generation and it is not even something we would consider. With each generation becoming better and better at following the Golden Rule, is our generation finally ready to follow the Golden Rule with animals? We already do this with dogs and cats, but what about other animals? I think the world is ready and willing to extend the Golden Rule to animals.

Gensler is a master at taking complex subjects and making them easy to understand. His clarity is like no other author I have ever read. If you are like me, you are shocked when some of the greatest minds in history have criticized the Golden Rule for what seems like easily overcome objections. For example, Immanual Kant is famous for criticizing the Golden Rule for how he thought it would require a judge to let a criminal go because the criminal would not want to be punished. Gensler masterfully shows why this is not an adequate objection. In fact, Gensler reviews more than 30 objections to the Golden Rule and dissolves them like snow. Who knew people could come up with so many objections?

Sometimes following the Golden Rule can be hard. Sometimes following the Golden Rule can make you an outcast. Sometimes following the Golden Rule is so difficult that it will make you want to come up with your own objections! But at the end of the day, the Golden Rule will stand the test of time.

Please go and buy this book. The world, and you, will be better for having read it.

Jarortr

The Golden Rule has been consciously followed and promoted in many societies for thousands of years (this book contains a great historical timeline), but the concept can be misinterpreted by those who explore its meaning only superficially. With this book, Harry Gensler creates a tremendous platform for Golden Rule success, providing a deeply considered, realistic means of applying the Golden Rule to everyday situations. Helpfully, he addresses many of the fallacies used to attack the concept of "doing unto others as we would have done unto ourselves" through short, well-written and thought-provoking stories. Recognized as one of a very small group of Golden Rule experts around the world, his insights bring meaning to a concept common to nearly every substantial religion and one also recognized by many atheists and agnostics as a critical success factor to peaceful coexistence. The concepts can be applied in every aspect of life where ethics matter, including business, government and personal behavior. I highly recommend this book to anyone who ever faces a moral dilemma in life, which really means everyone.

Ironfire

Gensler's GR not only reinforce human interactions but also provide the blueprint for the success of that interaction. Gensler’s GR is the principle that creates healthy communication. It adjusts desires, inclinations in a logical and calibrated response in human interactions. Gensler’s GR lies in their ethical and moral message as a practical formula to discipline human behavior among human beings and between human beings and the rest of the natural world. Gensler is a firm believer of human improvement as well as I am.

Kagda

This is a good book to read at your leisure to get a feel of the greek method of debate and how this applies to real life.
I can be a little redundant but it is a good teaching tool.

Yozshujind

The Golden Rule is one of the key ethical principles. Arguably it is the key principle. It appears in every culture and religion in almost every age of history since written records began. Gensler does a great job of reviewing this history and catalogs all of the various forms the rule has taken and continues to take in diverse cultures throughout the world. He writes in such a way that the reader is encouraged to read (besides his introductions that explore alternate interpretations of the Golden Rule) only those sections that might interest or apply to them. As a result, however, there is much material repeated over and over again chapter after chapter. I read all of it and found myself time and again reading repetitive material. The Golden Rule is an important ethical foundation, but it is, after all but a single sentence. The core material in this book could have been stated in a much smaller book.