The Golden Rule Book

Jeffrey Wattles's The Golden Rule: a Collective and Separate Analysis of the Many
Interpretations of The Golden Rule

The Golden Rule (published by Oxford University Press in 1996) analyzes exactly what its title implies: the different versions of the phrase "do unto others what you would have others do unto you." The book was written by Jeffrey Wattles in a nonfiction stature,.The Golden Rule has had prevalence in just about every corner of the globe since the beginning of written history, and the book stresses this. From Confucius to Plato to the Bible to American Indian tribes, the Golden Rule has some sort of written and spoken form which is universal throughout cultures and religions to and fro.

My favorite part of the book was Wattles discussing the rule in ancient Greece with its thirst for philosophical answers. I felt as if I was there while they were trying to make sense of the world because of the continuous quotes used by famous philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, and Isocrates as well as citing other famous Greeks like Homer (specifically his text Odyssey) and the Sophists. The sheer amount of research the author must have done to achieve that level of immersion must be appreciated.

I believe the main idea of the text is that the Golden Rule, while not perfect, is certainly something everyone can live by and do great things, big or small. As I saw Wattles hurl every single type of conflict I could think of at the rule and more, I saw it clearer: the rule has a defense for almost everything and has enough vagueness to be interpreted by each individual slightly differently.

I believe this book has many great qualities about it. Wattles does an excellent job building ethos and logos within the text being his first book out of two (the other one being Values and Virtues: A New Philosophy of Living). Not only does he cite some of the most notable philosophers and religious figures throughout history, but the Stanford graduate dives deeper and finds less popular and conflicting points of view to pin against one another for an ultimate analyzation, which brings me to his excellent use of logos. After reading this man's book, I cannot imagine him being less than a premium college professor. His division of the aspects of the Golden Rule allow for an excellent breakdown of the subject and his constant picking at the reader's brain makes them beg for the answers to the deep philosophical questions he asks throughout the text.
It is worth noting I am not reviewing the entirety of the book; I only saw need to read chapters one, two, three, seven, nine, 11, 12, 13, and 14 to get the direction I needed for my THIS multigenre project. Recognize that due to my partial reading of the book I will not be able to fully appreciate the pros and cons of the book. It is also worth noting the author of this review doesn't have enough ethos himself to critique such a high-standing piece of literature (I'm still in high school), so take my opinion with a grain of salt. I may not criticize the book as harshly as some.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about how they should speak to, talk about, and act upon others. Anyone who seems to be more of an outcast to their friends and family should use this book to perhaps gain insight as to why people aren't interested in interacting with them. I would also recommend it to a high level book club or a friend group who would rather have deeper discussions than what the score of the game was or how stressed out they are. This book simply takes the reader out of their surroundings for a bit, and it's worth noting in a world where a lot of people need escapes from the mundanity of modern life.

** I copied and pasted my review of the book from Google Docs, which means the format may be a little harder to read than it would be on its original platform. I am posting this review as part of my multigenre T.H.I.S. project as a junior in high school (specifically in the class titled AP English Language/Composition) and appreciate any feedback regarding this review. Feel free to contact the email [email protected] with any suggestions regarding how a book review is to be written. /**