What's the Better Philosophy?

[TheN3rdyOutcast]

T'is it better to "treat people how you want to be treated" or to "treat people how they treat you".

I'd like to say that the former applies in all situations, but sometimes, it just gets you stepped on.

[Elysium]

"Treat people how you want to be treated." Imagine how many conflicts "treating people the way they treat you" would start. If someone's treating you badly and you treat them just as badly in response... well, two wrongs don't equal a right.

[Gamma Male]

Neither. You should treat every situation differently and always do what you think is best for each specific encounter rather than subscribing to dogmatic one size fits all rules and philosophies.

[jayjay's toocool]

Neither. You should treat every situation differently and always do what you think is best for each specific encounter rather than subscribing to dogmatic one size fits all rules and philosophies.

i agree, also people make mistakes. T'is better to care for everybody indivisually then act and react to anyone generally

[Typhlosion]

You shouldn't treat people the way you would want to be treated, since each person has their take/reaction to each stimulus.Treating people as they treat you is more realistic, but neither are attitudes to be taken. As Donald said, each action must be evaluated for the best reaction.

[LoveLessOne]

treat people how you want to be treated

[Miserabilia]

If everyone always follow the first, we get a more peaceful society. If everyone always follows the second, it'll turn into a cycle of the same behaviour because everybody copies that which is done to them, which in turns stop all types of social progress.

[Karkat]

In a lot of cases, the former. The latter tends to be terribly narrow-minded in motive, and just pits people against each other.

HOWEVER, letting yourself get stepped on all the time is equally as unacceptable. There has to be a balance between kindness and firmness.

In fact, balance is the answer to a lot of things, generally, and neither philosophy is exactly balanced.

[Gigablue]

If only all of ethics could be summed up in a simple phrase. It would make everything so much easier. Unfortunately, ethics are complicated, and there is no easy answer. Both of them have flaws, and neither should be relied upon. There are rules of thumb that help make ethical decisions, but they cannot tell you the right thing to do in every situation.

[Blood]

Neither. You should treat every situation differently and always do what you think is best for each specific encounter rather than subscribing to dogmatic one size fits all rules and philosophies.

I agree.

We are human, we make mistakes, we move on. Treat people how you want to treat them but never try to treat everyone the same, because we are not the same.

[Taryn98]

the first one
lead by example

[Lost in the Echo]

Definitely "treat people how you want to be treated". You earn a lot more respect if you do that, and as mentioned, the world would be a lot more peaceful overall. I really don't understand why more people don't follow this philosophy. It's not hard to do.

[Christen]

i guess both go hand in hand normaly 1st is better but if someone treats you bad its time to switch to number 2

[Babs]

I think both may work in different situations. I try to be kind to people because it's the right thing to do and I wouldn't want to be treated badly, but if they're continuously cruel to me, then I feel no obligation to be nice to them anymore simply because I would want to be treated nicely. Enough is enough.
Like Gamma Male said, each situation should be treated differently, but generally being kind to people is best, but I don't think people should continuously allow themselves to be stepped on.

[Abyssal Echo]

Treat people how you want to be treated.

[DeadEyes]

The latter.