silver rule

noun

The principle that one should not treat other people in the manner in which one would not want to be treated by them.

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Meanings

nounsilver rule (plural silver rules)

plural silver rules

  1. ethicsThe principle that one should not treat other people in the manner in which one would not want to be treated by them.

    Confucius (551-479 BC) squarely faces the issue and gives us the first specific statement of the rule in its negative form, sometimes referred to as the "Silver Rule."

    1934, J. O. Hertzler, “On Golden Rules”, in International Journal of Ethics, volume 44, number 4, page 421
Cite this entry
APA

silver rule. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20rule

MLA

“silver rule.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20rule. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “silver rule,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20rule.

Source: silver rule on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.