Ring of Gyges

The Ring of Gyges appears in Plato's Republic as a thought experiment about justice and morality. According to the tale told by Glaucon, Gyges was a shepherd in the service of the King of Lydia. One day, after a great storm and earthquake, a chasm opened in the earth near where he was feeding his flock.

Curious, Gyges descended into the chasm and discovered, among other wonders, a hollow bronze horse with doors. Inside was the corpse of a being larger than a man, wearing nothing but a golden ring on its finger. Gyges took the ring and returned to the surface.

Later, while sitting among other shepherds, Gyges happened to turn the bezel of the ring inward toward his palm. Instantly, he became invisible to his companions, who spoke of him as if he had left. Turning the bezel outward again made him visible. Once he understood the ring's power, Gyges arranged to be one of the messengers sent to the king. There he seduced the queen, killed the king with her help, and seized the throne.

The Question of Justice

Glaucon presents this story to challenge Socrates: if anyone possessed such a ring and could act with complete impunity, would they remain just? The implication is that people behave justly only because they fear the consequences of injustice. Remove the fear of being caught, and even the most "just" person would act unjustly.

Socrates' Response

The rest of the Republic can be seen as Socrates' extended response to this challenge. He argues that justice is intrinsically valuable, that the just person is happier than the unjust regardless of external consequences, and that a healthy soul requires justice as a healthy body requires proper function of its parts.

The Ring of Gyges has profoundly influenced Western thought about ethics, power, and human nature. It raised questions that remain central to moral philosophy: Is morality merely conventional? Do we act rightly only from fear of punishment? What would we do with unlimited power and no accountability?

The ring also became the prototype for magical rings of invisibility in later literature, most famously influencing J.R.R. Tolkien's One Ring, which similarly tests its bearers' moral character and corrupts those who use it.