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Glaucon’s Argument from the Ring of Gyges Experiment

Introduction

Glaucon was Plato’s brother. He was in search of the conclusion that if justice is superior to injustice. Glaucon argues in contradiction to Socrates’ situation of justice in Public Book II. Glaucon believed the fact that humans are unjust and selfish by nature. He believed that people supported justice because of the consequences. For instance, being fair gave one a good reputation. At the beginning of Republic Book II, Glaucon specified the three types of goods. To him, good was either desired for a person's own sake, making it inherent. Or a good was desired for own sake and the consequences attached to it. Lastly, substantial good or instrumental good. It is a bitter reality that the good one wants to do is, because of the consequences it serves. Further, we will discuss if justice precedes injustice.

Discussion

Glaucon stated that injustice is better than justice when it comes to nature. The only thing that makes us pick justice is the law. It is only natural that a person would want to do what is in their best interest. He also claimed that people would go for injustice if they had the option to, we only do the right thing because we have to. The negative consequences stop people from doing things that come to them naturally. Glaucon expressed a tale, “The ring of Gyges” to help explain his view of justice carrying comparative value, only because of our inability of doing the wrong thing.

Let us discuss the story of Gyges; The King of Lydia had a shepherd named Gyges. He came across a ring that made him invisible every time he twisted it on his finger. He used his newfound power to commit unjust acts. Gyges seduced the Queen and plotted the King's death with her, he wanted to take over the Kingdom. Gyges avoided the consequences, because of his invisibility. Based on the story, Glaucon suggested an experiment for the thought. He proposed; if two rings granted the power of invisibility, one should be given to a just man and the other given to an unjust man. At the end of the day, if the just man also turns to the unfair path, Glaucon’s view will be proved right; justice does not benefit us personally, and people will do the wrong thing if given the opportunity. Glaucon’s point was; anyone would do the same as Gyges if given the power.

If an individual could do as they pleased, they would never do the right thing. If there were no justice system, the world would become a barbaric place. People would never trust one another. The story of Gyges proves that if humanity were given this kind of power, the word "Justice" would have never existed ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"oINsCbU1","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Notomi)","plainCitation":"(Notomi)"},"citationItems":[{"id":141,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/zTPHp9Do/items/Q2FF93UE"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/zTPHp9Do/items/Q2FF93UE"],"itemData":{"id":141,"type":"chapter","title":"Imagination for Philosophical Exercise in Plato’s Republic: The Story of Gyges’ Ring and the Simile of the Sun","container-title":"Psychology and Ontology in Plato","publisher":"Springer","page":"1-13","author":[{"family":"Notomi","given":"Noburu"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2019"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Notomi 1-13). This also helps us understand that justice indeed is selfish. It is safe to say that within justice, lies injustice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Glaucon stated the man who chose unjust, got respect and was rewarded. On the other hand, the person who chose to be just and fair suffered shame. Glaucon also suggested that the life of an unfair person is ultimately better than the person who decided to stay on a fair path. People are rather hypocrites, their admiration of justice is based on the terror of injustice. The whole concept of praising justice is to support the façade people have created. Glaucon also believed that justice is like a procedure. It carries value because of the security and direction it provides. The only reason the justice system exists is so the rule abusing unjust people can be removed.

Work Cited

Notomi, Noburu. "Imagination for Philosophical Exercise in Plato’s Republic: The Story of Gyges’ Ring and the Simile of the Sun." Psychology and Ontology in Plato. Springer, Cham, 2019. 1-13.