Introduction
One of the most famous thinkers from Ancient Greece was Plato (c.427–348 BCE). He was a student of Socrates. Plato wanted to understand why people choose to do the right thing – for example, why we help others or act fairly.
To explore this question, Plato told a story called the Ring of Gyges in his book Republic. The story is about a shepherd who finds a magic ring that makes him invisible, and how he behaves when no one can see him.
In Republic, Plato shows a conversation between two philosophers:
Socrates – says we do the right thing because it is good.
Glaucon – says we do the right thing because we are afraid of being punished.
The moral question
Plato then asks an important question:
If we could do anything without punishment or consequences, would we still choose to do the right thing?
Glaucon’s argument
Glaucon (Plato’s brother) argued that people are naturally selfish. He believed people behave well only because they are afraid of being punished or losing their good reputation.
He said that if someone had the ring and knew they would never be caught, they would stop caring about being moral. They would do whatever they wanted, even if it hurt other people – just like Gyges did.
Glaucon believed we try to look good in front of others, rather than be truly good. So if no one was watching, he thought people would behave badly.
Socrates’ counter-argument
Socrates disagreed. He said that being moral and fair is important in itself, not because of rewards. He also said that doing bad things harms the person who does them, even if no one finds out.
Self-control
In Republic, Plato talks about what it means to be human, how to be moral, and what makes a good society. One of his goals is to show that Glaucon is wrong and Socrates is right.
Plato says that our selfish desires can be controlled. When we have self-control, we do not let our desires rule us. This allows us to behave well and become truly happy.
A wise person understands the value of self-control, so they would not use the ring to behave badly.
Plato’s idea still matters today. Even though it can be difficult to stop and think before acting, he believed that this ability is what makes humans special.
A lesson for today
The Ring of Gyges is still important when we talk about morality. It makes us think about why we behave well: because we believe in goodness or because we want to avoid trouble.
Glaucon would say that anonymity encourages bad behaviour. Socrates would say that behaving badly hurts the person doing it and does not lead to real happiness.
Final thoughts
Plato wanted the Ring of Gyges to make us think about ourselves and what it means to be moral. As we look at Gyges’ behaviour when he became invisible, we can think about our own choices.
Plato wanted people to understand that we should be moral not because of fear, but because we truly want to be fair and good.
In Republic, he argues that we should try to live a good life both alone and with others. By thinking carefully, we can understand morality better and learn why doing the right thing matters.
Philosophy asks us to look at different ideas and make our own judgements. Even if people disagree with Plato, his ideas are still important. The Ring of Gyges is a useful starting point for thinking about morality.
Introduction
One of the most important thinkers from Ancient Greece was Plato (c.427-348 BCE), who was a student of Socrates. Plato was interested in why people do the right thing by acting fairly towards others - for example, why we help people in need.
To explore this issue, in his book Republic, Plato told a story known as the Ring of Gyges. The story is about a shepherd called Gyges, who finds a magic ring that makes him invisible, and the choices he then makes when there is no possibility of being caught.
In the Republic, there is a dialogue (conversation) between two philosophers, each of whom has their own view of why people do the right thing:
Socrates - we do the right thing because we know it is good to act fairly towards others.
Glaucon - we do the right thing because we fear the consequences of being caught if we do the wrong thing.
The moral question
Having told the story of Gyges, Plato then asks us this important question:
If we had the power to do anything without being punished or facing any consequences, would we still do the right thing?
Glaucon’s argument
Glaucon (Plato’s brother, who features as a character in Republic) argued that people would behave badly if they had the Ring of Gyges because he believed that people are naturally selfish (they really want to just do things that benefit themselves).
He believed that people only behave well and do the right thing because they are afraid of getting into trouble or losing their good reputation. And so if someone had the power to become invisible with the ring and never get caught, Glaucon argues, they would stop caring about being good and do whatever they wanted (just like Gyges did) - whether that was stealing, or even hurting someone.
Glaucon argued that people act fairly towards others only because they are scared of being punished or judged if they get caught doing something wrong, not because they really want to do the right thing. This is because, so he believed, we value our reputation more than we value being a good person. In other words, he believed that we think it is more important appearing to be good in the eyes of others than actually being good.
Glaucon thought that if there is no-one around to judge, why not do what you want?
Socrates’ counter-argument
Socrates (Plato's teacher and the main character in Republic), disagreed with Glaucon, and presented a counter-argument. Socrates thought that being moral and doing the right thing by being fair to others is important in its own right - not simply because it can lead to rewards. And similarly, behaving badly is wrong in itself, and not simply because it can lead to a punishment. He believed that a person who does bad things, even if they never get caught, harms themself and ends up living an unhappy life. Therefore, Socrates argued, there is a good reason not to behave badly if you owned the ring - it would be bad for you.
Self-control
Plato’s book, Republic is an exploration of what human beings are, what it means to be moral, and what kind of society is the best. One of his main aims is to show that Glaucon’s argument is wrong, and provide reasons for us to accept Socrates’ counter-argument. He does this by explaining that our instincts and selfish desires can be tamed and brought under control, so that they do not dominate us. And only when this happens can we behave well and achieve true happiness.
A wise person understands the importance of having self-control, and so would not use the ring to behave badly and act on their selfish desires.
Plato’s idea that we should not simply act on instinct or on our selfish desires might also be though to be relevant in today’s world. Even though it might be difficult to stop and think before acting, Plato would say that having the ability to do so is what makes us human.
A lesson for today
The story of the Ring of Gyges is still important today when we talk about being moral. It makes us think about why we make moral choices and if we behave well because we truly believe in being good or just to avoid getting into trouble.
Whereas Glaucon would argue that online anonymity gives people the opportunity to behave badly as they might feel there is no chance of getting caught, Socrates would respond by pointing out that such people are not really happy, and such behaviour is damaging not only to the victims but also to the ‘anonymous’ bully or troll.
Final thoughts
Plato wanted the story of the Ring of Gyges to make us think deeply about ourselves, and what it is to be a good moral person. As we think about Gyges, and how his behaviour changed when he became invisible, we should reflect on our own behaviour and the reasoning behind it.
Plato wants the story of Gyges to help us understand that we should be moral, not because of what might happen to us if we are not, but because we truly want to be good and fair.
In Republic, Plato argued that we should strive to live a good life, both when we are on our own and when we are with others. Through rationality and careful thinking, we can improve our understanding of what it truly means to be moral and the importance of always doing the right thing.
Doing philosophy requires us to consider different perspectives and coming to our own judgement. Even though not everyone agrees with Plato, we should recognise the importance of his ideas in the debate. The Ring of Gyges is an important starting point.