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7844 | The Golden Rule is accepted everywhere, and gives a fixed target for morality |
Full Idea: Pascal asks where we can find a fixed point in morality. The answer is in that single maxim accepted by all nations: "Do not do to others what you would not like to have done to you". | |||
From: Francois-Marie Voltaire (Philosophical Letters from England [1733], 25) | |||
A reaction: Should I only offer to my guests foods which I myself like? If I don't mind a bit of pain, is it all right to inflict it? It is a sensible rule, but not precise enough for philosophy. |