Section Two Week 4. Lecture Notes: Justice, Honesty and the Rings of Invisibility - - Section Two: Week 4 Plato: The Republic and The Rings or Invisibility (Anthony, Gyges, Frodo and Sauron) Hello class: Thank you for all of your insightful and interesting answers and comments about Plato's theory of justice and the film "The Fellowship of the Ring". On this sixth week, we will continue thinking about honesty and corruption. We will bring Plato's ethical ideal to Middle Earth to see how the Hobbits participate in the great battles between good and evil. As you already have read in the Republic, Plato confronted Socrates' idea of justice with Glaucon's sophist position, which expresses that 'injustice is more profitable than justice" and to illustrate that point Glaucon presented to us the story of the villain Gyges. In the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien extended Plato's journey of virtue and honesty to prove that a life of moral integrity is better that a life of corruption, murder and lies. However, both Plato and Tolkien showed us that we make the ultimate choice of following Gyges' behavior or not. In the trilogy, Frodo chooses to destroy the ring in order to save the Shire and all of the good things of Middle Earth, but he also learned that in order to fulfill this task, he has to defeat his own desires and he pays a high price. You will also read a lovely story about "Big Anthony and the Magic Ring",a beautiful metaphor created and illustrated by Tomi de Paola, a children's writer and educator.
______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ Read this page completely: Read: This page completely which includes: 1. Reading for Philosophical Inquiry: A Brief Introduction to Philosophical Thinking (an Internet source) 2. "The Rings of Tolkien and Plato" by Eric Katz 3. "All People Look After Themselves", by Nina Rosenstand 4. A review about "Big Anthony and the Magic Ring"written by a 9 year old student (an Internet source) You can also re-read the articles (both posted in the Apology of Socrates (fist part): The Sophists (The Internet Encyclopedia of Phil.) Protagoras of Abdera (The Internet Encyclopedia of Phil.) Movies for this week: "The Trilogy of the Lord of the Rings" All directed by Peter Jackson, 2002. If you haven't read these delighted and extraordinary books, enjoy the unique fantasy that Peter Jackson has captured for posterity by bringing the Middle Earth to the screen. The Two Towers and The Return of the King (my copies of these films are on RESERVE at Cerro Coso's Library) _____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ _______________ Reading for Philosophical Inquiry: A Brief Introduction to Philosophical Thinking (an Internet source) Other than anecdotal accounts, not much is known about Plato's early life. The association with his friend and mentor Socrates was undoubtedly a major influence. Plato's founding of the Academy, a school formed for scientific and mathematical investigation, not only established the systematic beginning of Western science but also influenced the structure of higher education from medieval to modern times. Plutarch once wrote, "Plato is philosophy, and philosophy is Plato." About the work…
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