Question

Context and ideals (Plato, The Republic)

What the story of Gyges’s ring is and what the point of that story is. The various elements of Plato’s cave allegory (chains, fire, shadows, sunlight, sun, etc.) and the point of this allegory.

Answer 1

• The Gyges Ring is a mythical object mentioned by Plato in the Republic.It is called the ring of invisibility.In the story,there is Gluacon,who is asking Socrates to give a definition of justice.Gluacon tells the story of a ring found by a man,who became invisible when he turned in a certain direction.By becoming invisible,he started doing things unjustly,as he could do anything that he wanted to do and no one would never know,since he is invisible.
• Gluacon said that people act justly only when they are worried about their reputation,then they also worry that other people would also act unjustly towards them.
• So when you are invisible and not worried about how people will judge you,then you behave in an unjustly manner.
• Gluacon also said that if there were two rings,one found by a just person and another by an unjust,the just person would also act the same way as unjust person.This story is built upon the argument,that nobody has an internal reason to be just.The only reason people behave in a just manner is to avoid the effect of unjust acts on them.People are selfishly motivated.
• According to Gluacon,if in life we could get away with crimes that went beyound our interest, we would all do so. The only reason that we are just is that we do not have such magical rings with us and thus we would suffer from the negative consequences for acts of injustice.
• The implication of the story is that being just is not fundamentally in our internal interest. We do this as a compromise because we cannot get away with injustice.
• Plato contradicts this view and says that being virtuous is something that ultimately fulfills us as human beings.Justice therefore is internally preferable to injustice.
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