Philosophy: Plato’s The Republic, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Plato’s The Republic is a well-crafted philosophic argument about the role and the meaning of justice in human lives. The myth of the Ring of Gyges is a kind of a thought experiment, which Glaucon uses to challenge to Socrates’ beliefs about justice. The Ring of Gyges shows injustice as the only kind of activity which humans choose in order to pursue their self-interests, once they understand that their actions and decisions are not to be punished. The Ring of Gyges is also supposed to show that justice is something that is coming from within the human soul, and that any person who is inherently just would have enough power to withstand external pressures and urges to act unjustly. In the context of The Republic, the point of mentioning the myth of the Ring of Gyges by Glaucon is in (a) trying to provide an accurate account of the human nature, and (b) challenging the stability of Socrates’ philosophic position. The role of the myth in The Republic is that of a measure of excellence: Plato shows that a person is excellent to the extent, which lets him control his appetites and desires, while justice and virtue are the traits that are coming from within the human soul and prevent it from being destroyed by desires.

The myth of the Ring of Gygos in Book II of Plato’s The Republic can be fairly regarded as the critical element in the philosophic discussion of justice. It is a story of a shepherd, who was lucky to find the Ring of Gyges that could make him invisible (Republic 358d). Glaucon is confident that whenever humans realize that their actions, no matter how unjust they can be, will not be followed by the due punishment, they will use these actions to pursue their self-interests even if such actions are inherently immoral and unethical. That does not mean that people will not choose to be just, but justice for Glaucon is nothing but a convenient tool of self-satisfaction. Through Glaucon and Adeimantus, Plato says that the pursuit for justice becomes relevant only when humans are too weak to act and perform injustice, only when they realize that they do not have resources to protect themselves from the negative consequences of injustice, or when they do not want to reconcile with the excessive benefits which injustice brings to others (Republic 359a). As such, justice becomes a form of a social contract or compromise, which weaker individuals make with those who are more powerful, “those who have done and suffered injustice and who have tasted both – the ones who lack the power to do it and avoid suffering it – decide that it is profitable to come to an agreement with each other neither to do injustice nor to suffer it” (Republic 359a). Thus, justice for Glaucon is just another act of self-interest, which weaker individuals use to restrain the impacts on injustice on their lives. Thus, justice has nothing just in it. Unfortunately, Glaucon’s account of justice and injustice is equally realistic and inaccurate, because the teller creates a generalized picture of the human nature and does not account for potential exclusions to the general rule.

In the story of the Ring of Gyges Glaucon shows humans as those, who pursue pleasure in everything they do – and it is natural that a ring that gives people the power of invisibility creates unlimited opportunities for having a pleasurable life. The shepherd begins with satisfying his earthy sexual pleasures (seducing the King’s wife) and ends with the higher grudge for power and omnipotence, by taking the King’s throne (Republic 360b). Thus, pleasure for Glaucon is the equivalent of selfishness, but what about other actions, which are pleasing but are not selfish at all? What about people, who get pleasure by helping others? What about those, who have pleasure while sharing their limited assets with others? And what about those, for whom altruism is the major pleasure in life? To some extent, these arguments reflect Socrates’ vision of the human nature, which shows justice as something that is coming from within and something, which helps individuals withstand external pleasures and seductions. As a result, pleasure is not always a measure of one’s selfishness.

Also, our lives are overfilled with numerous obligations and norms, which we follow against our will (for example, going to school or having a job), and there are actions which we have no other choice but to do in order to achieve some long-term objectives (for example, quitting to smoke in order to stay healthy). All these actions have nothing to do with selfishness, but rather imply the existence of some balance between what individuals want to do and what they have to do. However, in the context of The Republic, Glaucon’s story is important in a sense that it serves a measure of human depravity and weakness in face of excessive desires. Although rather inaccurate and very argumentative, Glaucon’s story is truthful in that it shows the ring as a tool of seduction, which humans may choose to use or may choose not to use.

It is possible, that, depending on the extent to which an individual is just or unjust or depending on the extent to which an individual is weak or strong, the ring will either serve his self-interests or will promote the public benefit. For example, why not to use the magic of invisibility to help the poor, to console the deprived, and to give the suffering a hope for a better life? This is a “justice in soul” debate, but Glaucon shows only one side of the human character and human morality in its utmost imperfection. Of course, the point of using the Ring of Gyges in The Republic is in trying to assess how weak individuals are toward desires and pleasures. Here, a perfect person is the one, who is able to avoid using the ring to pursue his self-interests against the norms of morality and ethics. The point of using the Ring of Gyges is in showing how a magic power of the ring results in hypocrisy and ultimately leads to tyranny. Simultaneously, the use of the Ring of Gyges in The Republic is in showing that everything is relative in this world, and even pleasure and injustice are not always absolutely or absolutely positive, as well as the human nature is neither completely dull nor completely perfect. “No one, whether in poetry or in private discussions, has adequately argued that injustice is the greatest evil a soul can have in it, and justice the greatest good” (Republic 366e). Even that the ring itself can either become a benefit or a punishment is just another proof for the relativity of the human nature, depending on the inner forces and external circumstances, in which the decision to act is to be taken. That is why the meaning of human perfection for Plato is in how strong an individual is in controlling his desire for excessive pleasures, which often result in tyranny and deny the relevance and importance of the public good and the public interests.

Conclusion

The myth of the Ring of Gyges is an excellent source of philosophic argument about justice, injustice, and their place in human nature. Plato uses the tale of the ring to, on the one hand, challenge Socrates’ convictions about humans and, on the other hand, to show humans as weak creatures who cannot and do not withstand the pressure of excessive pleasures and seductions. Unfortunately, Glaucon presents only one side of the story. He does not take into account possible exclusions to the general rule: human actions are not always driven by selfishness and pleasures. Moreover, there are instances where humans act against their interests. However, the Ring of Gyges is a convenient measure of human depravity. Whether invisibility and the ring lead to excessive power and tyranny depends on the inner values, motives, and moral strength of every individual – the values and strength which show justice and injustice as coming from within and which show a perfect individual as the one, who can withstand the pressure of such seductions and pleasures.

Works Cited

Plato & C.D.C. Reeve. Republic. Hackett Publishing, 2004.