The first principle you mention is, more or less, Kant's idea of the categorical imperative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative http://en.wikip

The first principle you mention is, more or less, Kant's idea of the categorical imperative (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Categorical_imperative) Perhaps not the end-all be-all of moral reasoning, but certainly very influential (and there's a mammoth body of analysis and discussion around it), and personally I find that it's always a worthwhile perspective to consider.