Ethics Philosophy - Ethics in Term Paper

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Clearly, his moral standing is highly dubious, if not completely tarnished.

If the Gyges ring were to fall into my possession, I would attempt to do something just to make the world a better place - but what I consider to be just, others might consider to be unjust. For example, I am opposed to many of George W. Bush's actions as President of the United States. I believe that, through his actions, he is personally responsible for many instances of death and destruction, not the least of which has resulted from starting a war that never should have been a war, as there is not a single shred of evidence that affirms this war is being fought for a good reason. Yet more and more people continue to die each day as a result of it.

Thus, if I had the Gyges ring, I would try to figure out a way to use my invisibility so as to somehow punish George W. Bush. Now, I'm not saying that I would actually kill George W. Bush. As I believe killing to be morally wrong, then it follows that it is wrong to punish a murderer with murder. but, assuming I can take liberties with the original story of Gyges ring and perhaps extend the ring's capabilities a bit, updating them to 21st century technology, I would probably do something like trap the American president in a room for several days and make him watch gruesome footage of the carnage he has been responsible for. Since I do not believe President Bush is fully aware of his actions - as I do not believe him to be either an intelligent or moral person - I believe that such a form of punishment might bring him some sort of moral consciousness.

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So perhaps the story of the Gyges ring, as it is used to make an ethical point in the Republic, is overly simplified. Still, Socrates would likely object to the scenario that I have proposed above. He would say that I am contradicting myself when I say that I would not want to kill President Bush, yet I would still do something considerably cruel to him. In this, Socrates is correct. But I would respond that, since I am doing something positive for the benefit of mankind, my actions are, in fact, just.

Thrasymachus would likely be a lot more sympathetic to the scenario that I have proposed above. In Thrasymachus's view, justice is not a universal standard; rather, it belongs to whoever happens to be the strongest in any given scenario. Were I to possess the Gyges ring, then I would naturally be in a much stronger position than George W. Bush - a position that I am not currently in today. At the same time, I would attempt to convey to Thrasymachus that his view is not one that I agree with one hundred percent. If one were to subscribe wholeheartedly to Thrasymachus's view, then one would be in a position to defend tyranny, fascism, and all sorts of horrors that are, in reality, indefensible and morally wrong.

A guess the moral of this story is, then, that morality is not so easy to define - at least not as easy as Plato would have us believe......

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