What If You Could Get Away With Anything? (Plato + Zelda) – 8-Bit Philosophy
-
0:08 - 0:14What if you could do whatever you want...and
get away with it? -
0:14 - 0:19Suppose, for example, you could steal from
your best friend…and not only would he never -
0:19 - 0:21find out it was you…
-
0:21 - 0:28He would also think you’re the best friend
ever for letting him cry on your shoulder. -
0:28 - 0:30What a sap!
-
0:30 - 0:35Meanwhile, you’re living it up with what
you stole, and have a devoted tool — er, -
0:35 - 0:37friend — to boot!
-
0:37 - 0:43Believe it or not, Plato talks about you in
Book II of his Republic! Well, he talks about -
0:43 - 0:49people like you, if you’re the sort of person
willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead… -
0:49 - 0:54especially if you can do it without ever getting
caught. -
0:54 - 1:00Plato tells us a story — a myth, really
— of a lowly shepherd who discovers a mysterious -
1:00 - 1:07chasm. And inside of it was a magic ring.
When he turned the ring so that the setting -
1:07 - 1:11faced his palm, he became invisible.
-
1:11 - 1:17That night, as he sat with other shepherds
around the fire, he started turning the ring, -
1:17 - 1:22and noticed that others, thinking he’d left
his place, started talking about him. In actual -
1:22 - 1:25fact, he was invisible.
-
1:25 - 1:32He wasted no time seducing the queen and,
with her help, murdering the king and seizing -
1:33 - 1:40power. Even though he committed a grave injustice,
he certainly benefitted, didn’t he! -
1:40 - 1:47Well, according to Plato, no. Despite now
being infinitely richer and more powerful, -
1:47 - 1:52Plato thinks the shepherd has NOT benefited
from committing this injustice. -
1:52 - 1:59But why? Surely it’s good to gain some material
wealth or social status. Does it really matter -
1:59 - 2:01HOW it’s achieved?
-
2:01 - 2:07But Plato doesn’t think that injustice really
is in one’s best interest. In fact, just -
2:07 - 2:07the opposite!
-
2:07 - 2:14You see, according to Plato, justice is inherently
valuable. The just person will always be infinitely -
2:15 - 2:19happier — and thus richer — than the unjust
person. -
2:19 - 2:25For Plato does not think that goodness is
derived from material or social gain. Thinking -
2:25 - 2:29that it is, is what the shepherd got wrong.
-
2:29 - 2:35Justice in the individual is the condition
of a harmonious soul governed by reason. You -
2:35 - 2:42see, Plato thinks the soul has three parts:
the appetitive part that reflects our urges; -
2:42 - 2:48the spirited part that reflects our emotions;
and the rational part that reflects our best -
2:48 - 2:50selves.
-
2:50 - 2:57That’s why the just individual will never
commit injustices, whether s/he can get away -
2:57 - 2:58with it or not.
-
2:58 - 3:04In other words, the just individual knows
that committing unjust acts messes with his -
3:04 - 3:07soul, and so also his happiness.
-
3:07 - 3:14So, dear Viewer, if you found a ring that
could make you invisible, what would you do…?
- Title:
- What If You Could Get Away With Anything? (Plato + Zelda) – 8-Bit Philosophy
- Description:
-
One thing you can't get away with is avoiding that SUBSCRIBE button!
CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE: http://goo.gl/N4Fse9Welcome back to 8-Bit Philosophy, where gaming makes you smart.
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/8bitphilosophy
Homepage: http://www.8bitphilosophy.comEpisode 14: What If You Could Get Away With Anything?
(Plato & The Ring of Gyges)Written by: Mia Wood
Created & Directed by: Jared Bauer
Narrator: Nathan Lowe
Animation Producer: MB X. McClain
Original Music & Sound by: David Krystal (http://www.davidkrystalmusic.com)
Visual Consultant: Matt Reichle
Producer & Additional Artwork by: Jacob S. Salamon© 2014 Wisecrack, Inc.
- Video Language:
- English, British
- Duration:
- 03:45
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