Ring of Gyges thought experiment
E712293
ethical thought experiment
moral thought experiment
philosophical thought experiment
political philosophy example
The Ring of Gyges thought experiment is a philosophical scenario exploring whether a person would remain just if granted invisibility and complete impunity from consequences.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
ethical thought experiment
ⓘ
moral thought experiment ⓘ philosophical thought experiment ⓘ political philosophy example ⓘ |
| addressesQuestion |
whether a person would remain just with complete impunity
ⓘ
whether justice is valued for its own sake or for its consequences ⓘ |
| aimsToShow |
that injustice is naturally more advantageous if unpunished
ⓘ
that people practice justice unwillingly ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Book II of Plato's Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| asksWhether |
a just person would act unjustly if guaranteed secrecy
ⓘ
anyone is incorruptible with absolute power and impunity ⓘ |
| attributedTo | Plato NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralTheme |
human nature
ⓘ
incentives and punishment ⓘ justice ⓘ moral motivation ⓘ |
| comparedTo |
modern anonymity on the internet
ⓘ
the concept of absolute power corrupting absolutely ⓘ |
| contrastedWith | Socrates' view that justice is intrinsically valuable ⓘ |
| describedIn | Plato's Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasInterpretation |
as a critique of purely consequentialist views of justice
ⓘ
as a test of integrity in the absence of external sanctions ⓘ |
| historicalContext | classical Greek philosophy ⓘ |
| influenced |
debates about surveillance and accountability
ⓘ
modern discussions of moral behavior under anonymity ⓘ |
| involvesCharacter | Gyges NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| involvesObject | ring of invisibility ⓘ |
| involvesPower |
freedom from consequences
ⓘ
invisibility ⓘ |
| narratedByCharacter | Glaucon NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophicalDiscipline |
ethics
ⓘ
moral psychology ⓘ political philosophy ⓘ |
| questionFormulation | what would a person do if they could never be caught or punished ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
instrumental value of morality
ⓘ
intrinsic value of justice ⓘ moral realism ⓘ psychological egoism ⓘ social contract theory ⓘ |
| usedBy | Glaucon to challenge Socrates ⓘ |
| usedIn |
debates about character versus incentives
ⓘ
discussions of moral education ⓘ introductory ethics courses ⓘ |
| usedToArgue |
that justice is a social contract
ⓘ
that people are just only because of social consequences ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.