What is "golden rule"

Golden \Gold"en\ (g[=o]ld"'n), a. [OE. golden; cf. OE. gulden, AS. gylden, from gold. See Gold, and cf. Guilder.]

1. Made of gold; consisting of gold.

2. Having the color of gold; as, the golden grain.

3. Very precious; highly valuable; excellent; eminently auspicious; as, golden opinions. Golden age.

   1. The fabulous age of primeval simplicity and purity of manners in rural employments, followed by the silver age, bronze age, and iron age.
      --Dryden.

   2. (Roman Literature) The best part (B. C. 81 -- A. D. 14) of the classical period of Latinity; the time when Cicero, C[ae]sar, Virgil, etc., wrote. Hence:

   3. That period in the history of a literature, etc., when it flourishes in its greatest purity or attains its greatest glory; as, the Elizabethan age has been considered the golden age of English literature. Golden balls, three gilt balls used as a sign of a pawnbroker's office or shop; -- originally taken from the coat of arms of Lombardy, the first money lenders in London having been Lombards. Golden bull. See under Bull, an edict. Golden chain (Bot.), the shrub Cytisus Laburnum, so named from its long clusters of yellow blossoms. Golden club (Bot.), an aquatic plant ( Orontium aquaticum), bearing a thick spike of minute yellow flowers. Golden cup (Bot.), the buttercup. Golden eagle (Zo["o]l.), a large and powerful eagle ( Aquila Chrysa["e]tos) inhabiting Europe, Asia, and North America. It is so called from the brownish yellow tips of the feathers on the head and neck. A dark variety is called the royal eagle; the young in the second year is the ring-tailed eagle. Golden fleece.

      1. (Mythol.) The fleece of gold fabled to have been taken from the ram that bore Phryxus through the air to Colchis, and in quest of which Jason undertook the Argonautic expedition.

      2. (Her.) An order of knighthood instituted in 1429 by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy; -- called also Toison d'Or. Golden grease, a bribe; a fee. [Slang] Golden hair (Bot.), a South African shrubby composite plant with golden yellow flowers, the Chrysocoma Coma-aurea. Golden Horde (Hist.), a tribe of Mongolian Tartars who overran and settled in Southern Russia early in the 18th century. Golden Legend, a hagiology (the ``Aurea Legenda'') written by James de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, in the 13th century, translated and printed by Caxton in 1483, and partially paraphrased by Longfellow in a poem thus entitled. Golden marcasite tin. [Obs.] Golden mean, the way of wisdom and safety between extremes; sufficiency without excess; moderation. Angels guard him in the golden mean. --Pope. Golden mole (Zo["o]l), one of several South African Insectivora of the family Chrysochlorid[ae], resembling moles in form and habits. The fur is tinted with green, purple, and gold. Golden number (Chronol.), a number showing the year of the lunar or Metonic cycle. It is reckoned from 1 to 19, and is so called from having formerly been written in the calendar in gold. Golden oriole. (Zo["o]l.) See Oriole. Golden pheasant. See under Pheasant. Golden pippin, a kind of apple, of a bright yellow color. Golden plover (Zo["o]l.), one of several species of plovers, of the genus Charadrius, esp. the European ( Charadrius apricarius, syn. Charadrius pluvialis; -- called also yellow plover, black-breasted plover, hill plover, and whistling plover. The common American species ( Charadrius dominicus) is also called frostbird, and bullhead. Golden robin. (Zo["o]l.) See Baltimore oriole, in Vocab. Golden rose (R. C. Ch.), a gold or gilded rose blessed by the pope on the fourth Sunday in Lent, and sent to some church or person in recognition of special services rendered to the Holy See. Golden rule.

         1. The rule of doing as we would have others do to us. Cf.
            --Luke vi. 31.

         2. The rule of proportion, or rule of three.

            Golden samphire (Bot.), a composite plant ( Inula crithmoides), found on the seashore of Europe.

            Golden saxifrage (Bot.), a low herb with yellow flowers ( Chrysosplenium oppositifolium), blossoming in wet places in early spring.

            Golden seal (Bot.), a perennial ranunculaceous herb ( Hydrastis Canadensis), with a thick knotted rootstock and large rounded leaves.

            Golden sulphide of antimony, or Golden sulphuret of antimony (Chem.), the pentasulphide of antimony, a golden or orange yellow powder.

            Golden warbler (Zo["o]l.), a common American wood warbler ( Dendroica [ae]stiva); -- called also blue-eyed yellow warbler, garden warbler, and summer yellow bird.

            Golden wasp (Zo["o]l.), a bright-colored hymenopterous insect, of the family Chrysidid[ae]. The colors are golden, blue, and green.

            Golden wedding. See under Wedding.

n. 1 (context idiomatic English) A fundamental rule or principle. 2 (context ethics English) The principle that one should treat other people in the manner in which one would want to be treated by them.

1. n. any important rule; "the golden rule of teaching is to be clear"

2. a command based on Jesus' words in the Sermon on the Mount; "Whatsoever ye would that men do unto you, do you even so unto them" (Mathew 7:12)

The Golden Rule or law of reciprocity is the principle of treating others as one would wish to be treated oneself. It is a maxim of altruism seen in many human religions and human cultures. This dictionary of philosophy contains the following exact quote under the entry for "golden rule": "The maxim 'Treat others how you wish to be treated'.

Various expressions of the rule are to be found in tenets of most religions and creeds through the ages, testifying to its universal applicability." (end quote). Walter Terence Stace argued that the Golden Rule was much more than simply an ethical code. Instead, he posits, it "express[es] the essence of a universal morality." The rationale for this crucial distinction occupies much of his book The Concept of Morals (1937): –

(above quote found p. 136, ch. 6)

The maxim may appear as either a positive or negative injunction governing conduct:

• One should treat others as one would like others to treat oneself (positive or directive form).
• One should not treat others in ways that one would not like to be treated (negative or prohibitive form).
• What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself (empathic or responsive form).

The Golden Rule differs from the maxim of reciprocity captured in do ut des—"I give so that you will give in return"—and is rather a unilateral moral commitment to the well-being of the other without the expectation of anything in return.

The concept occurs in some form in nearly every religion and ethical tradition. It can also be explained from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, sociology, and economics. Psychologically, it involves a person empathizing with others. Philosophically, it involves a person perceiving their neighbor also as "I" or "self". Sociologically, 'love your neighbor as yourself' is applicable between individuals, between groups, and also between individuals and groups. In economics, Richard Swift, referring to ideas from David Graeber, suggests that "without some kind of reciprocity society would no longer be able to exist."

The Golden Rule is a guideline for the operation of fiscal policy. The Golden Rule states that over the economic cycle, the Government will borrow only to invest and not to fund current spending. In layman's terms this means that on average over the ups and downs of an economic cycle the government should only borrow to pay for investment that benefits future generations. Day-to-day spending that benefits today's taxpayers should be paid for with today's taxes, not with leveraged investment. Therefore, over the cycle the current budget (i.e., net of investment) must balance or be brought into surplus.

The core of the 'golden rule' framework is that, as a general rule, policy should be designed to maintain a stable allocation of public sector resources over the course of the business cycle. Stability is defined in terms of the following ratios:

1. The ratio of public sector net worth to national income
2. The ratio of public current expenditure to national income
3. The ratio of public sector income to national income.

If national income is growing, and net worth is positive this rule implies that, on average, there should be net surplus of income over expenditure.

The justification for the Golden Rule derives from macroeconomic theory. Other things being equal, an increase in government borrowing raises the real interest rate consequently crowding out (reducing) investment because a higher rate of return is required for investment to be profitable. Unless the government uses the borrowed funds to invest in projects with a similar rate of return to private investment, capital accumulation falls, with negative consequences upon economic growth.

Golden Rule is the seventh and final studio album by Australian rock band Powderfinger, released on 13 November 2009. The album reunites the band with producer Nick DiDia, who produced several of the group's previous albums including, Internationalist, Odyssey Number Five and Vulture Street.

Golden Rule is the second EP released by Indie Rock band Golden State. It was released 2008.

The Golden Rule describes a "reciprocal" or "two-way" relationship between one's self and others that involves both sides equally and in a mutual fashion.

Golden Rule may also refer to:

In law, the Golden rule, or British rule, is a form of statutory construction traditionally applied by English courts. The other two are the “ plain meaning rule” (also known as the “literal rule”) and the “ mischief rule.”

The golden rule allows a judge to depart from a word's normal meaning in order to avoid an absurd result.

The term "golden rule" seems to have originated in an 1854 court ruling, and implies a degree of enthusiasm for this particular rule of construction over alternative rules that has not been shared by all subsequent judges. For example, one judge made a point of including this note in a 1940 decision: "The golden rule is that the words of a statute must prima facie be given their ordinary meaning."