GEED10093 - Ethics
Text Analysis: Outlined Summary
Instructions:
Create an outlined summary of "The Ring of Gyges" in Plato's Republic.
Condense the reading material by presenting the key ideas using your own words.
Use bullets to list and organize the events or ideas in order.
“The Ring of Gyges”
From Plato’s Republic

In Book 2 of Plato’s Republic, Glaucon challenges Socrates about human nature, the reason
for humans to be just, and how justice is preferable to injustice intrinsically.

According to him, people only act justly to avoid the consequences or judgment from being
unjust, and that we are inherently driven by our own selfish nature.

He asserts that if anyone possesses the power to get away with unjust actions that will will
bring profit to the person, then they will act unjustly, and his life will more likely be happier
than that of the just man.

From this, Glaucon raised the issue of justice with Socrates by talking about the famous
story in Greece, The Ring of Gyges, the story of a man who found a ring that has the ability
to make its wearer invisible.

While Gyges, a shepherd serving the king of Lydia, was out with his flock
one day, he found a crevice into the earth caused by an earthquake which
he decided to descend into. He found a bronze horse with doors and inside
the door, he discovered a human skeleton with a gold ring. He took it and
went back.

A month later, as he prepares his report to the king, Gyges discovered that
twisting the ring on his finger inward would make him invisible. He heard
the people speak of him as if he wasn’t there.

No longer subject to the consequences of his own actions, the young
shepherd named started to do actions purely based on his self-interest.

He arranged himself to be chosen as a messenger to the court.
GEED10093 - Ethics

He seduced and conspired with the queen to bring death upon the king. He
took over the kingdom.

The story implies that being just or acting just isn’t in our primary interests. Nobody is just
for intrinsic reasons.

According to Glaucon, any man with the same power, just or unjust, would also do the
same thing Gyges did. He states that if there is a way for us to get away with injustices that
would benefit ourselves, we would all do it.

Glaucon affirms that this is a proof that no one in this world is willingly just, and that we
are just obliged to do so out of fear of consequences of unjust actions. Justice brings less
benefit to the person than injustice.

Socrates responds to Glaucon’s challenge by saying that justice in itself is best for our soul,
and even if we could get away with it, we still have to do just things.

He says that justice doesn’t come from this social construct, and that the invisible ring’s
abuser has in fact would be harming himself due to his unjust actions while the just man
can still be rational, and his self is controlled

Plato also states that doing unjust actions, even if we get away with it, will only bring more
harm than good as we are just enslaving ourselves. On the other hand, the man who chooses
not to use it possesses a good and well-ordered soul, which will bring him happiness in the
long run.