This week in class, we read and discussed Plato's Republic. In this story, we learned
about Gyges and the ring that gave him the power to turn invisible. Once Gyges
realized what he could do with the ring, he ended up going on a series of
unjust actions that he would never even consider if he did not have the ring. While
discussing this in class, we came across this one question that stuck out to
me: What would you do if you were to have possession of the ring that turn you
invisible?
When that question was asked, I was thinking about the pranks I could pull off if I were to be invisible. But when discussing about the things we would do, I started to think about some of the questions that tied in with this question from earlier this week. What is justice (just or unjust)? And does power have an influence to turn people from just to unjust?
When that question was asked, I was thinking about the pranks I could pull off if I were to be invisible. But when discussing about the things we would do, I started to think about some of the questions that tied in with this question from earlier this week. What is justice (just or unjust)? And does power have an influence to turn people from just to unjust?
In my opinion, justice is doing the right thing regardless if someone is there or not to see what one is doing. I also believe that everyone has some sort of morals. We may or may not put these morals to use, but we still think about them. Just because no one can see our wrongful actions does not mean that we can commit certain actions.
I am not sure if this was talked about in class, but I want to put it out there anyways. Does power influence people to commit unjust actions? Because if we refer back to Plato's Republic, he would not have committed those unjust actions if he did not have the ring. I believe that power does have a certain influence on people to do unjust things. What do you all think about this question regarding to the influence of power?
I think you make some very valid points. I do agree that power drives a lot of unjust actions, just as we talked about in class how Thrasymachus defined justice as "Justice is the advantage of the strongest". I also agree with you in the fact that one's character is a driving force in what is right and what is wrong. Regardless if one sees/does not see or is visible or invisible one should know what is right or wrong and that is driven internally.
ReplyDeleteThe point you brought up about the influence of power on individual morality is quite intriguing. While possessing the power to commit injustice on a individual level may be prevented due to the person's own sense of justice or inherent sense of right or wrong, what controls a higher, more abstract body such as the government from warping these morals to favor those in charge? For example, some Middle Eastern countries have made lawful to subjugate women and make them lesser than their male counterparts. Presently, would any rational being deny the injustice in such an act? I would hope not. Therefore, it seems that Gyges' analogy is not restricted to an individual basis, but instead can be found in broader instances as the one described. It really makes you wonder how distorted our own sense of justice is solely due to external influences such as the government, your peers, or where you live.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of your points, but I disagree with your definition of justice. Justice, to me, is governed by culture and laws, but also by everyone's self. I agree with your point about people and power: power tends to make people crazy. People in power tend to get greedy and do anything they can in order to get more power and that usually makes people do things that are considered unjust.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that people will do unjust things when it is unseen because being able to do something that is unseen is just another form of power.
You bring up many good points, but I wish to ask you, when you say that "justice is doing the right thing regardless", how do you define the right thing? A good example of this is the trolley problem that we discussed earlier in class. In that situation, there really seems to be no right answer. Another point to bring up is something very similar. There is a play called Dr. Faustus which I think addresses the question of power excellently. In the play, Faustus sells his soul to the devil for power and knowledge. However, does he conquer the world with it? No, instead he simply goes about playing practical jokes on people, including the pope. By the end of the play, he regrets his decisions but can do nothing about it. I think no one is immune to the whispers of power, but that it always has some sort of limit. Overall, I enjoyed your post.
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ReplyDeleteI like your post but I disagree with your definition of justice. I do not think that justice is necessarily doing the right thing because it is such a vague concept. What is right for some people may not be justice for others. Think of a sentencing of a dangerous criminal that may not be enough due to lack of evidence. Also think of a scenario where you find your family and yourself starving, is it the right to steal in order to survive or do you just die? I think that even if we have possession of this ring, we would still do what is socially considered unjust (based upon religious laws and legislative laws).
ReplyDeleteSome people believe that the state of nature of human beings is to ultimately take advantage of the environment and other people in order to satisfy your needs, therefore stealing or even killing others just to get your way. Whether this is true or not, people have an innate feeling to better themselves - a sense of greed and selfishness.
One can say that they may abide by religious, moral, or cultural laws for the sake of appearing sensible in public, but I believe deep down inside, many will be seduced by such power.
Lastly, I want to say that power may influence one's desires to commit unjust actions. The power of the ring (invisibility) is not what drives people to do such actions, but rather the lack of consequences. In your last sentence, you stated that he would have not committed those actions if he did not have the ring. While true, I think it depends on the circumstance, as stated above. Situations demand for several actions, just or unjust.
This was one of the main points that caught my attention in the reading of this section. Just like in the Lord of the Rings when Frodo is given the ring by Bilbo, there is much power that is handed off in that action. The Justice, and right thing to do is throw the Ring into the volcano where it was forged in Mordor, but as you can see by watching the movie, the decision becomes hard. The ring which, is pure evil, turns Frodo into a dark person sometimes when he wears it. By this it shows and re affirms the statement you shared earlier, "and does power have the influence to turn just people into unjust people. This is all determined by the will power of that individual person.
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