8 How are we to live The ultimate choice 9 our rivers and lakes. Others are tested by being put, in con- what do I think of as a good life, in the sense of that centrated form, into the eyes of conscious rabbits, held immo- term? This is an ultimate question. To as ask: what bilized in rows of restraining devices like medieval stocks kind of a life do I truly admire, and what kind of life do I There are alternatives to products that are environmentally hope to be able to look back on, when I am older and reflect damaging, or tested in such cruel ways. To find the alterna- on how I have lived? Will it be enough to say: 'It was fun? tives can, however, be time-consuming, and a nuisance. Will Will I even be able to say truthfully that it was fun? What- you take the trouble to find them? ever your position or status, you can ask what within the We face ethical choices constantly in our personal relation- limits of what is possible for you- you want to achieve with ships. We have opportunities to use people and discard them, or to remain loyal to them. We can stand up for what we es popular by the group does. Though the morality of personal relationships The Ring of Gyges is difficult to generalize about because every situation is dif- Two and a half thousand years ago, at the dawn of Western ferent, here too we often know what the right thing to do is philosophical thinking, Socrates had the reputation of being but are uncertain about what to do the wisest man in Greece. One day Glaucon, a well-to-do young There are, no doubt, some people who go through life Athenian, challenged him to answer a question about how we without considering the ethics of what they are doing. Some are to live. The challenge is a key element of Plato's Republic of these people are just indifferent to others; some are down- one of the foundational works in the history of Western ph right vicious. Yet genuine indifference to ethics of any sort is losophy. It is also a classic formulation of an ultimate choice rare. Mark Chopper Read, one of Australia's nastiest crimi- According to Plato, Glaucon begins by retelling the story nals, recently published(from prison)an horrific autobiogra- of a shepherd who served the reigning king of Lydia. The phy, replete with nauseating details of beatings and forms of shepherd was out with his flock one day when there was a torture he inflicted on his enemies before killing them storm and a chasm opened up in the ground. He went down Through all his relish for violence, however, the author shows into the chasm and there found a golden ring, which he put evident anxiety to assure his readers that his victims were all n his finger. A few days later, when sitting with some other in some way members of the criminal class who deserved what shepherds, he happened to fiddle with the ring, au we &ey got. He wants his readers to be clear that he has nothing amazement discovered that when he turned the ring a certain it contempt for an Australian mass murderer- now one of way, he became invisible to his companions. Once he had Reads fellow-prisoners- who opened up on passersby with made this discovery, he arranged to be one of the messengers an automatic rifle. The psychological need for ethical justifi by the shepherds to the king to report on the state of cation,no matter how weak that justification may be,is the flocks. Arriving at the palace, he promptly used the ring emarkab to seduce the queen, plotted with her against the king, killed We should each ask ourselves: what place does ethics have him. and so obtained the crown. in my daily life? In thinking about this question, ask yourself: Glaucon takes this story as encapsulating a common view8 How are we to live ? our rivers and lakes. Others are tested by being put, in con￾centrated form, into the eyes of conscious rabbits, held immo￾bilized in rows of restraining devices like medieval stocks. There are alternatives to products that are environmentally damaging, or tested in such cruel ways. To find the alterna￾tives can, however, be time-consuming, and a nuisance. Will you take the trouble to find them? We face ethical choices constantly in our personal relation￾ships. We have opportunities to use people and discard them, or to remain loyal to them. We can stand up for what we believe, or make ourselves popular by going along with what the group does. Though the morality of personal relationships is difficult to generalize about because every situation is dif￾ferent, here too we often know what the right thing to do is, but are uncertain about what to do. There are, no doubt, some people who go through life without considering the ethics of what they are doing. Some of these people are just indifferent to others; some are down￾right vicious. Yet genuine indifference to ethics of any sort is rare. Mark 'Chopper' Read, one of Australia's nastiest crimi￾nals, recently published (from prison) an horrific autobiogra￾phy, replete with nauseating details of beatings and forms of torture he inflicted on his enemies before killing them. Through all his relish for violence, however, the author shows evident anxiety to assure his readers that his victims were all in some way members of the criminal class who deserved what they got. He wants his readers to be clear that he has nothing b'it contempt for an Australian mass murderer - now one of Read's fellow-prisoners - who opened up on passersby with an automatic rifle.4 The psychological need for ethical justifi￾cation, no matter how weak that justification may be, is remarkably pervasive. We should each ask ourselves: what place does ethics have in my daily life? In thinking about this question, ask yourself: The ultimat e choic e 9 what do I think of as a good life, in the fullest sense of that term? This is an ultimate question. To ask it is to ask: what kind of a life do I truly admire, and what kind of life do I hope to be able to look back on, when I am older and reflect on how I have lived? Will it be enough to say: 'It was fun'? Will I even be able to say truthfully that it was fun? What￾ever your position or status, you can ask what — within the limits of what is possible for you - you want to achieve with your life. The Ring of Gyges Two and a half thousand years ago, at the dawn of Western philosophical thinking, Socrates had the reputation of being the wisest man in Greece. One day Glaucon, a well-to-do young Athenian, challenged him to answer a question about how we are to live. The challenge is a key element of Plato's Republic, one of the foundational works in the history of Western phi￾losophy. It is also a classic formulation of an ultimate choice. According to Plato, Glaucon begins by retelling the story of a shepherd who served the reigning king of Lydia. The shepherd was out with his flock one day when there was a storm and a chasm opened up in the ground. He went down into the chasm and there found a golden ring, which he put on his finger. A few days later, when sitting with some other shepherds, he happened to fiddle with the ring, and to his amazement discovered that when he turned the ring a certain way, he became invisible to his companions. Once he had made this discovery, he arranged to be one of the messengers sent by the shepherds to the king to report on the state of the flocks. Arriving at the palace, he promptly used the ring to seduce the queen, plotted with her against the king, killed him, and so obtained the crown. Glaucon takes this story as encapsulating a common view