'The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy'

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I’m happy that this topic has gotten good responses – thanks to each of you! There are several points which have prompted me to continue thinking about it.

Yes, the rings are different – Tolkien’s does play a much more active role in corruption of a person.

In LOTR, the ring does have a mind of its own. (hobbit punk)

I agree with Lord of Angmar that

Plato's ring tempts by its virtue (invisibility) alone, not by any actions or 'mind-control' of its own.

However, I do not agree that

from that one immoral action he became an immoral man.

I would say that it is the other way around – one who is intrinsically immoral acts immorally. For that reason, I also disagree with burrahobbit’s statement that

Gyges is not necessarily immoral.

As TheXPhial said,

His ring did not cause him to be immoral.

and hobbit punk adds,

the ring only serves to help the shepherd live out the things he would have liked to do but were only possible with the aid of his magic ring.

Since the ring itself (Plato’s) is neutral, the person determines which course of action he takes.

hobbit punk, thanks also for the interesting comparison to the “Hollow Man” movie – I haven’t seen it, but it sounds like a modernisation of Plato’s story! Again, as you say,

It is not the formula itself that made him invisible which corrupts him, it is his own nature coming into play.

True, Saucepan Man, real life does not deal out justice to wicked persons as we would like to see it, yet I would like to think that they do experience some of those effects -

mental anguish, the loss of friends and loved ones, emotional bankruptcy … psychological emptiness…

Mark12_30, you bring up the tragic aspect, the fact that Frodo did suffer those unhappy consequences though he was not himself an immoral person. How aptly you phrase it:

The moral man was worn down to an immorality that he never intended nor desired, and could not by himself escape.

I too am glad that he experienced the grace of his final journey to Elvenhome and hopefully, complete healing there.