The Ring of Gyges

The story of the Ring of Gyges as told by Plato in Republic goes like this: A man named Gyges is in possession of a ring which he finds could render him invisible when worn. Upon his discovery of this superpower, he trespasses into the palace, kills his king, and sleeps with the queen. The point of the tale is that the just man and the unjust man, thrown in the same circumstance, would behave no differently. When he has no fear of capture and punishment, man would do just as Gyges has done. No one will know, after all.

The trick, supposedly, is to resist the temptation of the Ring of Gyges-- to refuse to wear it at all.

But let's say, just for the sake of let's say, that I suddenly find myself the owner of this fabled ring. What will I do, I wonder.

Perhaps I will take a first class seat on a plane to Paris, steal fifty bags full of money, forge my residency papers, and then when that is done, perhaps I will remove the ring, pull a Frodo Baggins and take it to its destruction in Mount Doom, and then proceed to live the leisurely life of a French girl and no one's the wiser. Or perhaps I will keep the ring so that I may live a life of careless excess knowing that I can stock up on money anytime I want. Perhaps I will pass the ring on to my children as an heirloom. Perhaps.

David Denby, New Yorker writer and author of my favorite read of the moment, Great Books, said that with the ring on his finger, the first thing that he will do is to go to this chic and incredibly expensive New York restaurant around noon because that is when this guy he dislikes comes in to dine. And then, when the odious guy is just about to bring the spoon of this absolutely succulent and expensive dessert into his mouth, Denby will grab it for himself. And then he will steal a luxury car, drive himself to the airport, sleep in this five-star hotel in this European country, enjoy the view, catch a glimpse of black swans, and then- he wrote this in the 90s- he will go to Iraq and stab Saddam to death.

The fear according to Denby is that, everyday, man is living more and more like Gyges and the theoretical Denby and me. Everyday, man fears getting caught and getting punished less and less.

The trick, supposedly, is to resist the temptation of the Ring of Gyges-- to refuse to wear it at all.