About the Lord of rings...

Just as the famous story of the Ring of Gyges is a hypothetical in the Socratic dialogues, but a wonderful manifestation that we are so similar with the difference of centuries of culture and civilization; the one that revolves around a magic ring that can make the wearer invisible. It is meant to explore what just men would presumably do with the power to be free from consequences or detection of unjust acts, and whether they would be inherently corrupted by such power.

The parable is based on an early myth from the Mermnad dynasty of Lydian kings. And what thoughts then come to mind, from the readings we make our own.

I've been rereading The Republic, and it's worse than I remember, chalk full of eugenics and state power capable of dictating and directing human behavior and nature through the application of "experts", unity being a virtue and individuality a vice . Like... human cattle like cogs in a machine that's somewhat more efficient, with this distorted view that justice is something akin to the Borg. Each one placed in a specific task at the service of the state... As he believes in the specialization of knowledge but not in social mobility or even in innovation, where the good is only the good of the whole and is established from above instead down. In his utopia, many children will be raised by the state, without individual families, without parents or children outside of collective upbringing.

My teenager really liked this book, and I want to hit him over the head. It's a good instruction on, you know... How to think things through and there are interesting musings on the proper role of the state, but its conclusions are anti-human. Plato's description of Socrates' politics is progressive and anti-liberal.

It's not even exactly a meritocracy. It's like he wants to... raise humans for a task. For example, from birth, one must be made for a specific goal not set by the individual. Like... "You're going to be a keeper. You're going to be a baker. You're going to be a merchant." etc and then apply what makes the best of it. It specifically advocates eliminating those who are unfit for their tasks or deficient in some way and ending the lives of those deemed unfit from an early age.

It definitely delves into what today we would call genes and race as well. Like... Hellenistic peoples should be treated differently than barbarians and inferiors and all that.

#thelord
#ofrings
#socrates
#barbarian
#hellenistic