The Ring Of Gyge In Plato's Republic

In this essay I will argue that in Plato’s Republic, Socrates shows the Ring of Gyges teaches us that morality would disappear if there were no consequences to the actions taken by the one who possessed the ring. First, I will explain what he means by morality would disappear. Then I will show why I feel morality would not disappear. Finally, I will conclude that morality will not disappear.
In using the legend of the ring of Gyges, Socrates would like us to believe that if there were a magical ring that would allow you to have the power of invincibility one would be able to act unjust with no fear of recourse. He claims the most moral person would not be able to resist the power of the ring. He also claims people are moral because they are afraid of the consequences. If there were no consequences there would be no reason to worry about being moral. Being immoral is perfectly alright and makes for a happier life.
Even with all that has been going on in the world today, I still feel that if people had an opportunity to do something without there being a consequence, most would choose not to do something negative. I know personally if I were to come into possession of such an object there are many things I would want to do. I would want to use those powers to go back in time to right …show more content…
Being a huge fan of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, thinking about the power that would be bestowed on the owner of such an item brought me to think about the final Harry Potter movie. At the end of the movie Harry had in his position the three items that would make him the most powerful wizard of all time. He had the resurrection stone, the invisibility cloak, and the elder wand in the final scenes of the movie. As he became an adult, he found times in his life to use each except for the wand. He chose to destroy it because no one should have that much power. I think most would make the same