Ethics

As human beings, we are daily faced with situations that demand us to make a decision. The importance of decision making cannot be overemphasised. Who we ware is a result of what we decide or the decisions we made in the past. Essentially, our survival depends on our ability to make not just choices but the right choice. This makes us moral agents  those who possess the ability to distinguish and choose between what is right and what is wrong.
In ethical philosophy, there are different theories or standards that people use in measuring their actions  whether it is right or wrong. One of such theories is the consequentialist theory which measures the rightness or wrongness of an action on the result of an action. According to the ethical consequentialist, what makes an action wrong is not the nature of the action but the result the action brings. In order words, any action can be right if it brings a good result.
In the case study provided, the shepherd that took the ring of Gyges did not only steal but the result of such an action as described by Plato is likely to lead to an evil consequence. In Platos word, No man would keep his hands off what was not his own when he could safely take what he liked out of the market, or go into houses and lie with any one at his pleasure, or kill or release from prison whom he would, and in all respects be like a God among men (Plato). Making a judgement from this fact, it can be concluded that the shepherd will use this power in a terrible way. The big question is if I should use the second ring
I will use the ring to with the purpose of restoring the Kings kingdom. However, I will do this with the hope that I will not turn myself to a God among men. However, if I do turn myself to a God among men, I only hope that there will not be a third ring. The summary of this is that the world of the consequentialist is a world of hopes. As the end is not known, you only wait and hope that the result of your action will be a good one.