Plato: Phaedrus




The Ring of Gyges	Republic, Bk 2 (359b-360e))



“But as for the second point, that those who practise [justice] do so unwillingly and from want of power to commit injustice—we shall be most likely to apprehend that if we entertain some such supposition as this in thought: ^[359c]	^{359.b […]} Ὡς δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐπιτηδεύοντες ἀδυναμίᾳ τοῦ ἀδικεῖν ἄκοντες αὐτὸ ἐπιτηδεύουσι͵ μάλιστ΄ ἂν αἰσθοίμεθα͵ εἰ τοιόνδε ^359.c ποιήσαιμεν τῇ διανοίᾳ·
if we grant to each, the just and the unjust, licence and power to do whatever he pleases, and then accompany them in imagination and see whither his desire will conduct each. We should then catch the just man in the very act of resorting to the same conduct as the unjust man because of the self-advantage which every creature by its nature pursues as a good, while by the convention of law it is forcibly diverted to paying honor to ‘equality.’	δόντες ἐξουσίαν ἑκατέρῳ ποιεῖν ὅτι ἂν βούληται͵ τῷ τε δικαίῳ καὶ τῷ ἀδίκῳ͵ εἶτ΄ ἐπακολουθήσαιμεν θεώμενοι ποῖ ἡ ἐπιθυμία ἑκάτερον ἄξει. ἐπ΄ αὐτοφώρῳ οὖν λάβοιμεν ἂν τὸν δίκαιον τῷ ἀδίκῳ εἰς ταὐτὸν ἰόντα διὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν͵ ὃ πᾶσα φύσις διώκειν πέφυκεν ὡς ἀγαθόν͵ νόμῳ δὲ βίᾳ παράγεται ἐπὶ τὴν τοῦ ἴσου τιμήν.
The licence that I mean would be most nearly such as would result from supposing them to have the power ^[359d] which men say once came to the ancestor of Gyges the Lydian.	εἴη δ΄ ἂν ἡ ἐξουσία ἣν λέγω τοιάδε μάλιστα͵ εἰ αὐτοῖς γένοιτο οἵαν ^359.d ποτέ φασιν δύναμιν τῷ [Γύγου] τοῦ Λυδοῦ προγόνῳ γενέσθαι.
They relate that he was a shepherd in the service of the ruler at that time of Lydia, and that after a great deluge of rain and an earthquake the ground opened and a chasm appeared in the place where he was pasturing; and they say that he saw and wondered and went down into the chasm;	εἶναι μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν ποιμένα θητεύοντα παρὰ τῷ τότε Λυδίας ἄρχοντι͵ ὄμβρου δὲ πολλοῦ γενομένου καὶ σεισμοῦ ῥαγῆναί τι τῆς γῆς καὶ γενέσθαι χάσμα κατὰ τὸν τόπον ᾗ ἔνεμεν.
and the story goes that he beheld other marvels there and a hollow bronze horse with little doors, and that he peeped in and saw a corpse within, as it seemed, of more than mortal stature,^[359e] and that there was nothing else but a gold ring on its hand, which he took off and went forth.	ἰδόντα δὲ καὶ θαυμάσαντα καταβῆναι καὶ ἰδεῖν ἄλλα τε δὴ ἃ μυθολογοῦσιν θαυμαστὰ καὶ ἵππον χαλκοῦν͵ κοῖλον͵ θυρίδας ἔχοντα͵ καθ΄ ἃς ἐγκύψαντα ἰδεῖν ἐνόντα νεκρόν͵ ὡς φαίνεσθαι μείζω ἢ κατ΄ ἄνθρωπον͵ τοῦτον δὲ ἄλλο μὲν οὐδέν͵ περὶ δὲ ^359.e τῇ χειρὶ χρυσοῦν δακτύλιον ὄντα περιελόμενον ἐκβῆναι.
And when the shepherds held their customary assembly to make their monthly report to the king about the flocks, he also attended wearing the ring.	συλλόγου δὲ γενομένου τοῖς ποιμέσιν εἰωθότος͵ ἵν΄ ἐξαγ γέλλοιεν κατὰ μῆνα τῷ βασιλεῖ τὰ περὶ τὰ ποίμνια͵ ἀφικέσθαι καὶ ἐκεῖνον ἔχοντα τὸν δακτύλιον·
So as he sat there it chanced that he turned the collet of the ring towards himself, towards the inner part of his hand,	καθήμενον οὖν μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τυχεῖν τὴν σφενδόνην τοῦ δακτυλίου περιαγαγόντα πρὸς ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸ εἴσω τῆς χειρός͵
and when this took place they say that he became invisible ^[360a] to those who sat by him	τούτου δὲ γενομένου ^360.a ἀφανῆ αὐτὸν γενέσθαι τοῖς παρακαθημένοις͵
and they spoke of him as absent	καὶ διαλέγεσθαι ὡς περὶ οἰχομένου.
and that he was amazed, and again fumbling with the ring turned the collet outwards and so became visible.	καὶ τὸν θαυμάζειν τε καὶ πάλιν ἐπιψη λαφῶντα τὸν δακτύλιον στρέψαι ἔξω τὴν σφενδόνην͵ καὶ στρέψαντα φανερὸν γενέσθαι.
On noting this he experimented with the ring to see if it possessed this virtue, and he found the result to be that when he turned the collet inwards he became invisible, and when outwards visible;	καὶ τοῦτο ἐννοήσαντα ἀπο πειρᾶσθαι τοῦ δακτυλίου εἰ ταύτην ἔχοι τὴν δύναμιν͵ καὶ αὐτῷ οὕτω συμβαίνειν͵ στρέφοντι μὲν εἴσω τὴν σφενδόνην ἀδήλῳ γίγνεσθαι͵ ἔξω δὲ δήλῳ·
and becoming aware of this, he immediately managed things so that he became one of the messengers ^[360b] who went up to the king, and on coming there he seduced the king’s wife and with her aid set upon the king and slew him and possessed his kingdom.	αἰσθόμενον δὲ εὐθὺς διαπράξασθαι τῶν ἀγγέλων γενέσθαι τῶν παρὰ τὸν βασιλέα͵ ἐλθόντα ^360.b δὲ καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ μοιχεύσαντα͵ μετ΄ ἐκείνης ἐπιθέ μενον τῷ βασιλεῖ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν οὕτω κατασχεῖν.
If now there should be two such rings, and the just man should put on one and the unjust the other, no one could be found, it would seem, of such adamantine temper as to persevere in justice and endure to refrain his hands from the possessions of others and not touch them, though he might with impunity take what he wished even from the marketplace, ^[360c] and enter into houses and lie with whom he pleased, and slay and loose from bonds whomsoever he would, and in all other things conduct himself among mankind as the equal of a god.	εἰ οὖν δύο τοιούτω δακτυλίω γενοίσθην͵ καὶ τὸν μὲν ὁ δίκαιος περιθεῖτο͵ τὸν δὲ ὁ ἄδικος͵ οὐδεὶς ἂν γένοιτο͵ ὡς δόξειεν͵ οὕτως ἀδαμάντινος͵ ὃς ἂν μείνειεν ἐν τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ τολμήσειεν ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν ἀλλοτρίων καὶ μὴ ἅπτεσθαι͵ ἐξὸν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀγορᾶς ἀδεῶς ὅτι βούλοιτο λαμβάνειν͵ ^360.c καὶ εἰσιόντι εἰς τὰς οἰκίας συγγίγνεσθαι ὅτῳ βούλοιτο͵ καὶ ἀποκτεινύναι καὶ ἐκ δεσμῶν λύειν οὕστινας βούλοιτο͵ καὶ τἆλλα πράττειν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἰσόθεον ὄντα.
And in so acting he would do no differently from the other man, but both would pursue the same course.	οὕτω δὲ δρῶν οὐδὲν ἂν διάφορον τοῦ ἑτέρου ποιοῖ͵
And yet this is a great proof, one might argue, that no one is just of his own will but only from constraint, in the belief that justice is not his personal good, inasmuch as every man, when he supposes himself to have the power to do wrong, does wrong.	ἀλλ΄ ἐπὶ ταὔτ΄ ἂν ἴοιεν ἀμφότεροι. καίτοι μέγα τοῦτο τεκμήριον ἂν φαίη τις ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἑκὼν δίκαιος ἀλλ΄ ἀναγκαζόμενος͵ ὡς οὐκ ἀγαθοῦ ἰδίᾳ ὄντος͵ ἐπεὶ ὅπου γ΄ ἂν οἴηται ἕκαστος οἷός τε ἔσεσθαι ἀδικεῖν͵ ἀδικεῖν
^[360d] For that there is far more profit for him personally in injustice than in justice is what every man believes, and believes truly, as the proponent of this theory will maintain.	. λυσιτελεῖν γὰρ δὴ οἴεται πᾶς ἀνὴρ πολὺ ^360.d μᾶλλον ἰδίᾳ τὴν ἀδικίαν τῆς δικαιοσύνης͵ ἀληθῆ οἰόμενος͵ ὡς φήσει ὁ περὶ τοῦ τοιούτου λόγου λέγων·
For if anyone who had got such a licence within his grasp should refuse to do any wrong or lay his hands on others’ possessions, he would be regarded as most pitiable and a great fool by all who took note of it, though they would praise him before one another’s faces, deceiving one another because of their fear of suffering injustice. So much for this point. ^[360e]	ἐπεὶ εἴ τις τοιαύτης ἐξουσίας ἐπιλαβόμενος μηδέν ποτε ἐθέλοι ἀδικῆσαι μηδὲ ἅψαιτο τῶν ἀλλοτρίων͵ ἀθλιώτατος μὲν ἂν δόξειεν εἶναι τοῖς αἰσθανομένοις καὶ ἀνοητότατος͵ ἐπαινοῖεν δ΄ ἂν αὐτὸν ἀλλήλων ἐναντίον ἐξαπατῶντες ἀλλήλους διὰ τὸν τοῦ ἀδικεῖσθαι φόβον. ταῦτα μὲν οὖν δὴ οὕτω. ^360.e




The Answer of Socrates	Republic, Bk. 2, 611d-612c



^[611d] But we must look elsewhere, Glaucon.” “Where?” said he. “To [the soul’s] love of wisdom.	^611.d.7 ἀλλὰ δεῖ͵ ὦ Γλαύκων͵ ἐκεῖσε βλέπειν. Ποῖ; ἦ δ΄ ὅς.
^[611e] And we must note the things of which [the soul] has apprehensions, and the associations for which it yearns, as being itself akin to the divine and the immortal and to eternal being, and so consider what it might be if it followed the gleam unreservedly and were raised by this impulse out of the depths of this sea in which it is now sunk,	Εἰς τὴν φιλοσοφίαν αὐτῆς͵ καὶ ἐννοεῖν ὧν ἅπτεται καὶ οἵων ἐφίεται ὁμιλιῶν͵ ὡς συγγενὴς οὖσα τῷ τε θείῳ καὶ ἀθανάτῳ καὶ τῷ ἀεὶ ὄντι͵ καὶ οἵα ἂν γένοιτο τῷ τοιούτῳ πᾶσα ἐπισπομένη καὶ ὑπὸ ταύτης τῆς ὁρμῆς ἐκκομισθεῖσα ἐκ τοῦ πόντου ἐν ᾧ νῦν ἐστίν͵
and were cleansed and scraped free of the rocks and barnacles which, ^[612a] because it now feasts on earth, cling to it in wild profusion of earthy and stony accretion by reason of these feastings that are accounted happy.	καὶ περικρουσθεῖσα πέτρας ^612.a τε καὶ ὄστρεα ἃ νῦν αὐτῇ͵ ἅτε γῆν ἑστιωμένῃ͵ γεηρὰ καὶ πετρώδη πολλὰ καὶ ἄγρια περιπέφυκεν ὑπὸ τῶν εὐδαιμόνων λεγομένων ἑστιάσεων.
And then one might see whether in its real nature it is manifold or single in its simplicity, or what is the truth about it and how. But for the present we have, I think, fairly well described its sufferings and the forms it assumes in this human life of ours.” “We certainly have,” he said.	καὶ τότ΄ ἄν τις ἴδοι αὐτῆς τὴν ἀληθῆ φύσιν͵ εἴτε πολυειδὴς εἴτε μονοειδής͵ εἴτε ὅπῃ ἔχει καὶ ὅπως· νῦν δὲ τὰ ἐν τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ βίῳ πάθη τε καὶ εἴδη͵ ὡς ἐγᾦμαι͵ ἐπιεικῶς αὐτῆς διεληλύθαμεν. Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν͵ ἔφη.
“Then,” said I, “we have met all the other demands ^[612b] of the argument, and we have not invoked the rewards and reputes of justice as you said Homer and Hesiod do,	Οὐκοῦν͵ ἦν δ΄ ἐγώ͵ τά τε ἄλλα ἀπελυσάμεθα ἐν τῷ λόγῳ͵ ^612.b καὶ οὐ τοὺς μισθοὺς οὐδὲ τὰς δόξας δικαιοσύνης ἐπῃνέκαμεν͵ ὥσπερ Ἡσίοδόν τε καὶ Ὅμηρον ὑμεῖς ἔφατε͵
but we have proved that justice in itself is the best thing for the soul itself, and that the soul ought to do justice whether it possess the ring of Gyges or not, or in addition to this ring, the helmet of Hades.” “Most true,” he said.	ἀλλ΄ αὐτὸ δικαιοσύνην αὐτῇ ψυχῇ ἄριστον ηὕρομεν͵ καὶ ποιητέον εἶναι αὐτῇ τὰ δίκαια͵ ἐάντ΄ ἔχῃ τὸν Γύγου δακτύλιον͵ ἐάντε μή͵ καὶ πρὸς τοιούτῳ δακτυλίῳ τὴν Ἄιδος κυνῆν; Ἀληθέστατα͵ ἔφη͵ λέγεις.
“Then,” said I, “Glaucon, there can no longer be any objection, can there, to our assigning to justice and ^[612c] virtue generally, in addition, all the various rewards and wages that they bring to the soul from men and gods, both while the man still lives and, after his death?” “There certainly can be none,” he said.	Ἆρ΄ οὖν͵ ἦν δ΄ ἐγώ͵ ὦ Γλαύκων͵ νῦν ἤδη ἀνεπίφθονόν ἐστιν πρὸς ἐκείνοις καὶ τοὺς μισθοὺς τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ τῇ ^612.c ἄλλῃ ἀρετῇ ἀποδοῦναι͵ ὅσους τε καὶ οἵους τῇ ψυχῇ παρέχει παρ΄ ἀνθρώπων τε καὶ θεῶν͵ ζῶντός τε ἔτι τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἐπειδὰν τελευτήσῃ; Παντάπασι μὲν οὖν͵ ἦ δ΄ ὅς.

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