Gold or Platinum? Beyond the (Incomplete) ‘Golden Rule’ May
31st, 2012 The so-called Golden Rule, “Treat others as you wish
to be treated” is something we probably heard from teachers,
parents, peers, etc. The rule was a way for us to think about
how our actions or words impact other people. I recently read a
philosophy excerpt titled “The Moral Insight” by Josiah Royce.
It explains how we do not see other people as real as ourselves.
We come from a selfish self-centered point of view where we see
other people as objects whose feelings are not as powerful or
real as our own. Royce explains how pity and sympathy are not
enough to gain moral insight. When we hear of someone else’s
experience we never really take it in as our own; instead, we
may hear their experience but quickly forget it as if it really
never existed. Sometimes we may feel their pain or joy in the
moment but this quickly dissipates. The only way to gain true
moral insight is to acknowledge others and their experiences as
real as our own. Royce