PHIL 1100 -- Ethics (honors)
Fall 2021
Prof. Chris Heathwood
University of Colorado Boulder

 

First Paper Assignment: The Golden Rule

20 points

 

Your typewritten, double-spaced paper is due by email, as an MS Word attachment, on Tuesday, September 14 at 11:59 p.m.

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According to the philosopher Antony Flew, "Various expressions of the [golden] rule are to be found in tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages, testifying to its universal applicability" (Flew, "Golden Rule," in A. Flew (ed.) A Dictionary of Philosophy, London: Pan Books, 1979, p. 134.).  Here are some examples:

"Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself" (Confucius, Analects XV.24, David Hinton (tr.));

"What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow: this is the whole Torah ... " (Shabbath folio: 31a, Babylonian Talmud);

"The most righteous person is the one who consents for other people what he consents for himself, and who dislikes for them what he dislikes for himself" ("Conversations of Muhammad," Dwight Donaldson, Studies in Muslim Ethics (1963), p. 82.).

Write a short essay (probably 350-700 words) that does the following three things:

a. Formulates a theory in the normative ethics of behavior that is based on the golden rule.  Your theory should take the same form as the other theories that we are studying, namely, "act act is morally right if and only if _______________ ."

b. Illustrates the theory by applying it to two examples.  Come up with two of your own examples, spelled out in detail.  The first example should feature an action that (i) your formulation of the golden rule implies is right, and (ii) intuitively is right.  Be sure to explain why your theory implies this.  The second example should feature an action that (i) your formulation of the golden rule implies is morally wrong, and (ii) is intuitively morally wrong.  Be sure to explain why your theory implies this. 

c. Gives a counterexample to the theory.  To do this, describe some case, real or imaginary, in which someone performs some act that most or all of us would agree has a certain moral status (e.g., morally right or morally wrong) but that your golden rule theory implies has some other moral status.  Be sure to demonstrate why the theory has the implication, and explain why the implication is an unacceptable one.  Your job here is to convince the reader that the golden rule, as you have stated it, cannot be the true moral theory.

If you're not sure how to begin your paper, you can start it as follows:

Variations of the "golden rule" appear in many world religions.  In this essay, I will formulate the golden rule as a fully general theory in the normative ethics of behavior.  Then I will illustrate the theory by applying it to two examples.  Finally, I will show that the golden rule cannot be the fundamental truth about ethics by presenting a counterexample to it.

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Grading. Your essays will be graded on

Philosophy Paper FAQ.  Look at my Philosophy Paper FAQ.  Although this document is geared more toward open-ended writing assignments, reading it will help you with this paper too.  It also answers many policy-type questions (e.g., late-paper policy). 

Cheating.  It is fine if you want to discuss your ideas with others in the class.  However, the paper you turn in must be your own work.  Turning in closely similar essays is cheating.  Students who do that will receive an F for the entire course.  So will students who use a paper -- even if only a tiny part of it -- that they found on the internet (these are easy to spot).  I take cheating very seriously. 

Extra Help. If you seek assistance while writing your essay, please visit me in office hours or visit CU's Writing Center.