Pros And Cons Of Glaucon

I believe that Glaucon told us the story of Gyges and the ring to show that there is a difference in being morally right or wrong. Glaucon gives two accounts in which he asks us to imagine the ring was given to someone who valued high moral standards and then to an unjust man. The unjust man realized he could use the ring towards his own advantages and he could do so without getting caught. This resulted in the man using the invisibility ring in order to gain power by seizing the throne, and therefore appointing himself as the new king of the land where he once was a poor shepherd. It is then proposed that maybe the man who valued high morals would do no better than the unjust man. When there is no “moral constraints” who would be able to keep away from bettering themselves? I am certain that Glaucon was attempting to teach that many only claim to be “ethical” because they aim to receive something from their good doings or to refrain from possible punishment. In many religions, people aim to be moral in order to gain entrance into heaven or to escape the punishment of hell.

Hobbes taught that it would be more beneficial to live in collaboration than trying to manage life alone. We could gain many benefits from mutual living, as long as we establish and follow the rules. Social cooperation makes life much easier by allowing us access to schools, hospitals, etc… As a whole, our society would lose many benefits without this social cooperation. The social contract is basically stating that if we stay true to our word and work mutually with others that we will live a better life in the long