9 Moral nihilism is the meta-ethical view that nothing is moral or immoral. 23 That is that no actions, agents, or consequences have moral value and that there is no answer to the question “Why be moral?,” or, at least, no affirmative answer to the question “Should I act morally?” 19 This view is suggested in Plato's Republic by Thrasymachus and extended by Glaucon in discussion with Socrates. 1 The point that Thrasymachus tries to make is that morality is not really in the interest of those with power and is only a tool used by the powerful to keep the less powerful in check. 6 Glaucon extends this reasoning after Socrates' argument with Thrasymachus and gives the example of the Ring of Gyges. 15 In this paper I will discuss the Ring of Gyges
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28 The bearer of the ring might seduce the king's wife, kill the king, and take over the kingdom! 11 Or she might play mean tricks on her enemies, exploit the weaknesses of her friends without their knowledge, and push old women and small children into mud puddles whenever such an opportunity presents itself. 2 These atrocious actions may be performed while invisible without risk of reprisal, punishment, or sanction. 10 Using the example of the ring, Glaucon attempts to bolster the strongest moral nihilist position he can for Socrates to argue against. 5 Glaucon's main point in raising the possibility of such a ring is in order to ask whether there is any reason that one ought to be moral (to act justly) if one can get away with being immoral (acting …show more content…
16 Instead he suggests that maybe morality is just the sets of rules we follow in order to not be sanctioned or punished by our friends, family, and community, but which we would not follow or be obligated to follow were we able to escape punishment or sanction. 12 To extend Glaucon's case we may imagine another scenario involving an invincible kind of superman (no kryptonite). 14 Imagine this superman was not raised by some Midwestern family with American ideals and values central to his upbringing. 25 Instead, he is a creature of his desires, growing up alone among the stars following his own every whim. 20 Now imagine this superman came to earth and had his first interaction with other sentient beings which were like him in ability to think, but unlike him in strength and invincibility. 3 Finally imagine this superman wishes to enslave the entire human population of earth in order to further meet his every whim and desire. 4 According to Glaucon's mode of thought, because the superman could not be punished or sanctioned due to his strength and invincibility, there is no sense to be made of saying that he morally ought not to enslave the human race. 17 There must be some further moral reason for the superman not to act in this unjust way, and maybe this means that there is some other reason for being moral in everyday situations other than merely
28 The bearer of the ring might seduce the king's wife, kill the king, and take over the kingdom! 11 Or she might play mean tricks on her enemies, exploit the weaknesses of her friends without their knowledge, and push old women and small children into mud puddles whenever such an opportunity presents itself. 2 These atrocious actions may be performed while invisible without risk of reprisal, punishment, or sanction. 10 Using the example of the ring, Glaucon attempts to bolster the strongest moral nihilist position he can for Socrates to argue against. 5 Glaucon's main point in raising the possibility of such a ring is in order to ask whether there is any reason that one ought to be moral (to act justly) if one can get away with being immoral (acting …show more content…
16 Instead he suggests that maybe morality is just the sets of rules we follow in order to not be sanctioned or punished by our friends, family, and community, but which we would not follow or be obligated to follow were we able to escape punishment or sanction. 12 To extend Glaucon's case we may imagine another scenario involving an invincible kind of superman (no kryptonite). 14 Imagine this superman was not raised by some Midwestern family with American ideals and values central to his upbringing. 25 Instead, he is a creature of his desires, growing up alone among the stars following his own every whim. 20 Now imagine this superman came to earth and had his first interaction with other sentient beings which were like him in ability to think, but unlike him in strength and invincibility. 3 Finally imagine this superman wishes to enslave the entire human population of earth in order to further meet his every whim and desire. 4 According to Glaucon's mode of thought, because the superman could not be punished or sanctioned due to his strength and invincibility, there is no sense to be made of saying that he morally ought not to enslave the human race. 17 There must be some further moral reason for the superman not to act in this unjust way, and maybe this means that there is some other reason for being moral in everyday situations other than merely