ring of gyges essay

roughly equal in power - for the reason being that the pain of experiencing unjust actions is greater than the benefits accrued from inflicting it. (Plato, 2008) In this essay I will first outline his argument and explain how the parable of the Ring of Gyges attempts to support his theory. I will then argue that I do not find his argument plausible and it falls just short of persuading the reader. Glaucon states that all goods can be divided into three classes: things that we desire for their consequences;

According to Thracymachus justice is in the interest of the stronger. In a democracy, justice is in the interest of majority, while in aristocracy, justice benefits the elites. Thracymachus, a sophist was responding to the question, “what is justice?” as put forth by Socrates. An important implication of this response is that justice lies in following the rules and regulations made by the ruler and therefore, doing what is in the interest of the ruler. The problem with this understanding of justice

In book one of The Republic, Plato introduces the main character, Socrates, and he’s traveling home from a festival with his young friend, Glaucon. Along the way, a few other characters are also introduced. Our characters subsequently begin a debate about old age, when suddenly the debate turns into ones definition of justice. Some characters in particular that make strong argumentative perspectives are Polemarchus and his father, Cephalus. Cephalus definition of the word is “to speak the truth and

variety of subjects. In Plato's Republic, the philosopher writes about a perfect government, who would be its leaders and citizens. His ideas are quite different than those who had written on the subject of governance before him. In his "Ring of Gyges", he uses the ring to symbolize how socially connected people are. They make a perfect circle until self-interest takes hold. Most people can contemplate what it means to be a moral person. Even in a time where Christianity did not exist, ancient Greeks

Aristotle’s analogy of Gyges and his magic ring illustrates this, as does the thought experiment presented in the movie Groundhog Day; given a situation with no consequences, humans will inevitably make choices that are entirely self-serving. It is necessary, then, that posts of government

In life Humans must make decisions based on their beliefs of what is right and what is wrong. Continuously having to confront moral issues people must make decisions, but why should one decide in a particular way? In this paper, I will argue the most plausible reason to moral obligations of a person from self preservation to internalized developmental concepts by regarding the moral dilemma of Jill. Whether, a person makes moral decisions based off of a virtuous manner, to avoid punishment, or because

In Plato’s The Republic and The Apology, the topic of justice is examined from multiple angles in an attempt to discover what justice is, as well as why living a just life is desirable. Plato, writing through Socrates, identifies in The Republic what he thought justice was through the creation of an ideal city and an ideal soul. Both the ideal city and the ideal soul have three components which, when all are acting harmoniously, create what Socrates considers to be justice. Before he outlines this

own sake and the for the sake of its consequences. Glaucon challenges this by sharing the mythical tale of Gyges. The story is about a servant of the ruler of Lydia who discovers a golden ring. The ring gives him the power of invisibility which he uses to seduce the king’s wife, and later kill the king to take over the kingdom. After telling the story, Glaucon explains that if the same ring were given to a just and unjust person that they would act in the same. This is because everyone has the same

part of his writing, the philosopher claims that a person acts morally unwillingly or due to the reasons that come from the external environment. While Plato builds an argument about the benefits of being unjust and acting immorally in his “The Ring of Gyges,” he promotes an understanding that acting in a moral way is more desired, even though it is not an intrinsic

Superheroes and Philosophy Superheroes are very prevalent in today’s culture. Superheroes began as characters in comic books. Now, superheroes have expanded into different mediums, such as movies, television shows, apparel, games, toys and many others. The majority of people in today’s society are familiar with superheroes such as Batman, Superman, Spiderman and the X-men along with others. What most people do not know is that superhero comics and movies also concern philosophical issues. Some of