PP110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Egotism, Glaucon
Document Summary
Why should anyone be moral: answer: morality is a mechanism for social control; without morality society would disintegrate, 2. Why should i be moral: this question is more complicated and must be further discussed. The possible answers: because if i am not moral, i will be caught and punished (position presented by plato"s. 25-26: glaucon: what would we rather do, we"d all rather behave like egoists and try to get as much as e possibly can. That"s precisely why our adherence to the rules of morality is a second best option: here"s how plato put the very same point: pp. 26, left column: the ring of gyges story: a shepard comes upon a magic ring which can make the owner invisible. The shepard goes to the kings court as a representative of the other shepherds. The moral person who has a reputation for immorality: this person, though good, is thought to be evil.
