Since coming home to hellenic paganism, I have really come to appreciate the wisdom of the ancients. Both the poets and the philosophers have inspired me to live virtuously, use my brain, and to have courage in adversity. Their words have helped me greatly in the development of my own Pagan ethics.
When first entering the Craft, I loved the freedom and sensible guideline of the Rede. An it harm none, do what thou wilt. Of course! It made so much sense. Just don't hurt anybody and follow your bliss. I had entered Wicca after leaving Christianity several months before, and the simplicity of "harm none" was refreshing.
What's more is that the Rede also helped me to break away from some self-destructive tendencies once I realized that it also applied to how I treated myself. That was an important realization.
However, I think that the Rede best functions as a jumping off point for thinking about ethics beyond "harm none." After all, who defines what "harm" is? If you tell a white lie when your friend asks you if you like her new clothes, is that harm? Who or what are included in those things of which none should be harmed? Only people? Animals? Plants? Ecosystems? Rocks?
There are times, too, when some people who start thinking deeply about the implications of the Rede end up rejecting it in some way, because in the strictest sense, it is not possible to continue living without bringing harm to some things. After all, even if someone lives alone in a cave, he or she must still eat to survive, and even vegetarians must kill plants to do so. Life feeds on life, and although the web of life is interdependent, resources are not unlimited, so one individual or species doing well can often mean another one won't. From this perspective it is simply not possible to truly "harm none."
Ancient philosophical writings, like the Rede, also make good jumping off points. The maxims inscribed in Apollo's Temple at Delphi contain some truly helpful precepts. They also contain a few outdated ideas, such as "Rule your wife". Drew Campbell has a nice essay about some aspects of Hellenic ethics which mention several of the most respected maxims here.
The ancient Greek poets and philosophers provide much food for thought as well. In the coming weeks I hope to illustrate some of these.
(Comments are welcome.)