Ring of Gyges
E712315
The Ring of Gyges is a mythical artifact from Plato’s Republic that grants its wearer invisibility, used to explore questions about morality, justice, and human nature when consequences are removed.
Statements (43)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
mythical artifact
ⓘ
object in ancient Greek philosophy ⓘ |
| activatedBy | turning the ring's collet ⓘ |
| appearsIn | Book II of Plato's Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
Glaucon
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Gyges of Lydia NERFINISHED ⓘ Plato NERFINISHED ⓘ Socrates NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| centralQuestion | whether a just person would remain just if they could act with impunity ⓘ |
| comparedTo | modern examples of online anonymity ⓘ |
| culturalContext | ancient Greek philosophy ⓘ |
| describedIn | Plato's Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| effectOnWearer | makes the wearer invisible to others ⓘ |
| firstKnownAuthor | Plato NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| foundBy | a shepherd in the story ⓘ |
| genre | myth within a philosophical dialogue ⓘ |
| grantsToWearer | invisibility ⓘ |
| hasPower | invisibility ⓘ |
| influenced |
later discussions of moral psychology
ⓘ
modern debates on anonymity and ethics ⓘ |
| languageOfSource | Ancient Greek ⓘ |
| narratedBy | Glaucon in Plato's Republic ⓘ |
| philosophicalRole |
challenge to Socrates to defend justice as intrinsically good
ⓘ
test case for the nature of justice ⓘ |
| questionRaised | Would anyone be incorruptible if they could never be caught? ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
accountability
ⓘ
instrumental view of justice ⓘ moral character ⓘ psychological egoism ⓘ |
| relatedMyth | story of Gyges in Herodotus (distinct version) ⓘ |
| relatedWork | The Republic NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| setIn | Lydian kingdom NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
impunity
ⓘ
separation between appearance and reality ⓘ temptation to injustice ⓘ unchecked power ⓘ |
| usedAs | philosophical thought experiment ⓘ |
| usedInArgument |
to challenge the intrinsic value of justice
ⓘ
to suggest people are just only from fear of punishment ⓘ |
| usedToExplore |
ethical behavior without consequences
ⓘ
human nature ⓘ justice ⓘ morality ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.