"If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed."

-Albert Einstein, physicist, Nobel laureate (1879-1955)

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Ring of Gyges


No, it's neither a plot device from a Tolkein trilogy nor a song by Johnny Cash. It's an imaginative myth told by Plato in his Republic, presenting the story of a certain poor man who discovers a curious object. This object gives him a certain ability, and forces him (and us!) to confront a fundamental question: what would you do if you could always get away with it...?


HW: Read it tonight - it's chapter 21 in our (CD or online) text. FYI, the "Ideas of Interest" (pp. 225-26) will likely be part of our discussion in class tomorrow, if you want to glance at them as well.

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