Analysis Of Plato s The Ring Of Gyges - 1510 Words

Brenden Seidel December 15, 2014 GVPT 241- Professor Alford TA Joan Timoneda What if you had a magic ring like the ring of Gyges (Republic, 359d)? Why be just or moral? Develop the complete answer of Socrates in Plato s Republic, through 449a. Then consider whether Plato s Socrates in The Apology would answer in a way that was any different, in substance or in tone. Your own opinion is worth a page of so, but focus on the argument of Plato s Socrates. When Glaucon attempts to argue that no difference exists between the just and unjust man, he tells the tale of the Ring of Gyges. In this paper, I will analyze the implications possessing a magic ring like the Ring of Gyges and will outline Socrates’ response to Glaucon’s story. I will articulate my stance on morality. I will then make the following arguments: 1) Socrates never actually explains why the just life is inherently and intrinsically better than the unjust life. Rather, Socrates’ entire argument revolves around the consequences of being unjust. 2) The arguments brought forth by Plato’s Socrates in â€Å"The Republic† and Socrates in â€Å"The Apology† are not remotely similar and egregiously conflict with one another. In The Republic, Glaucon tells the story of the Ring of Gyges. The myth follows that Gyges, while tending to his flock sheep, finds a magical ring that gives the user the ability to turn invisible, at will. Gyges ultimately abuses the power afforded to him by the ring and ends up using the ring toShow MoreRelatedPlato s The Republic Socratic Dialogue And Tsugmi Ohba And Takeshi Obata Death Note1769 Words   |  8 Pagesbetween just and unjust is very fine and at the same time very different for each person depending on their circumstance’s, The Republic explores this through a fable named â€Å"The Ring of Gyges† and the Death Note through the ‘Death Note’. Another topic which the two texts explore is the noble lie, which is a theory created by Plato which states a lie which promotes piece is better than the truth at the price of chaos, The Republic explores this idea through the â€Å"Myth of the Metals† and Death note throughRead MoreJustice Is Not Only A Good Thing2112 Words   |  9 PagesGlaucon, and Adeimantus offer counterclaims to Socrates’ argument in order to elicit elaboration on the role of justice and its importance. While looking at each interlocutor’s arguments, one can see that they all are convincing, but with further analysis, each it flawed in proving whether justice or injustice is the most favorable. Based on the arguments proposed, I believe the views of injustice given by Thrasymachus, Glaucon, and Adeimantus benefit the individual in attaining short-term, extrinsicRead MoreThe Lord of the Rings: Our Motivation in Committing Evil Acts3549 Words   |  15 Pages The following analysis deals with the nature and source of evil and whether, given our innate motives and moral obligation, we willingly choose to succumb to our desires or are slaves of our passion. From this argument, I intend to show that our human nature requires that we play into our desires in order to affirm our free will. This is not to say that our desires are necessarily evil, but quite the opposite. In some sense, whatever people actually want has some relative value to them, and