glyph 578: ethics, morality, markets, governments ... Jesus Christ, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Confucianism, golden rule ... Spencer MacCallum, Spencer Heath ... libertarian philosophy, economics, trade vs compulsion ... Chapman College Talks . Christian Libertarian Institute . University Fransico Marroquin, Guatamala
'How tantalizing,' economist William H. Peterson wrote some years ago, 'to find that virtually all the world's major religions exalt the Golden Rule in one way or another.' [reference in footnotes] He reproduced the different wordings he had read as follows:
JUDAISM
Do not do to your fellow what is hateful to you.
ISLAM
No one is a believer until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself.
BUDDHISM
Do not hurt others in ways you would find hurtful.
CONFUCIANISM
Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you.
The common wisdom is that all major religions teach the golden rule. This appeals, because it speaks to us of the brotherhood of man. But on examination, does this common affirmation not fall into that large catch-bin of notions that are widely but mistakenly believed? Spencer Heath was fond of remarking that the positive version propounded by the teacher of Galilee was unique—and that its uniqueness carried profound implications.
https://explorersfoundation.org/archive/maccallum-spencer-golden-rule.pdf
This article was inspired by Spencer Heath, Economics and the Spiritual Life of Free Men: The Chapman College Talks and Selected Essays; edited by the author, Heath's grandson and literary executor (sm at look dot net). Forthcoming. Also forthcoming is the Spencer Heath Archive, a work in process digitizing Heath's work, to be domiciled at the Universidad Francisco Marroquin, Guatemala.
First published [here] by the Christian Libertarian Institute, August 30, 2017
Distributed by the author according to a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license.
https://explorersfoundation.org/glyphery/578.html
September 4, 2017