The Golden Rule is Wrong

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," sounds like a reasonable and desirable credo, but it suffers from a fatal logical flaw. You are not like me, and I am not like you.

How many times have you bought a Christmas gift that you loved and thought another would also, only to find that gift rapidly make its way to the back of a closet? Did you ever tell a joke that you thought was funny only to get a non or negative reaction? Does everyone like the same movies, music, food, etc., that you do? Then what makes you think that if you treat people the way that you want to be treated that those people will be happy? While there are certain cultural and social norms, certain common standards of morality, etc., it is often a disservice to others to assume that their attitudes, desires, etc., are the same as yours. No, the "Golden Rule" has much merit, but it is deficient. It does not adequately consider what is in the hearts and minds of others, and further absolves one from finding out.

The Golden Rule should be something along the lines of "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them." Of course, that assumes that others are "good," where those actions have moral implications, but that's a subject for another discussion.