Who would have fallen?

[davem]

Originally Posted by Mister Underhill

What I get from your argument is that you go all the way to the sentience side of the scale with the Ring, attributing to it mind, awareness, will, agenda. For my own part, I'd probably slide it down the scale a ways, not all the way to inanimate computer, but more like a blind, dumb, animalistic, radioactive sort of evil. If it were indeed as sentient as you posit, it could and would, I think, have devised a much more effective plan for returning to its master.

No - it had to work with the 'raw materials' to hand. Not everyone would succumb to its call. In fact, it had to be subtle & work mostly on those who were ignorant of its true nature. The Ring was not a Shelob - who would fit your description:

a blind, dumb, animalistic, radioactive sort of evil.

I think the Ring is much closer to Sauron: conscious, logical, purposeful, but rather limited in what it could do to get its way. I think the movies were correct in that at least.