Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Golden Rule/Jesus & Confucius. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 4 page essay that contrasts and compares the formulations of the Golden Rule as offered by Confucius and Jesus. The writer argues that while the pronouncements of these two great moral teachers have the same general meaning, examination of the Golden Rule according to Confucius compared with the Golden Rule as stated by Jesus shows that there are marked differences due to the negative formulation of the Chinese saying versus the positive formulation of the Christian dictum and that the positive formulation makes the Christian version superior. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khgrjc.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
treated. It is a concept that universal in human culture and appears in all of the worlds major religions, in one form or another. For example, the greater Chinese teacher
Confucius stated a version of the Golden Rule five centuries prior to the time of Jesus Christ. But while the pronouncements of these two great moral teachers have the same
general meaning, examination of the Golden Rule according to Confucius compared with the Golden Rule as stated by Jesus shows that there are marked differences due to the negative formulation
of the Chinese saying versus the positive formulation of the Christian dictum. Jesus formulation of the Golden Rule can be found in both Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31 (Topel 475).
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12). In the sayings of Confucius,
the Golden Rule is expressed several times, but in a negative form. For example, in Confucius Analects (XV, 13) it states that a disciple asked Confucius for a guiding principle
for all conduct and he answered, "Is not mutual goodwill such a principle? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others" (Aiken). While these two
pronouncements express a similar orientation, they are actually quite different because the positive form encompasses a "greater extension and higher quality of actions and desires than does the negative formulation"
(Topel 480). The negative version implies that simply refraining from doing harm is sufficient for moral conduct, while the positive formulation suggests that action is required for meeting its
moral standard. It is for this reason that scholars frequently refer to the Confucian formulation of the Golden Rule, that is, the negative formulation, as the "Silver Rule" (Topel
...