Plato, at the beginning of The Republic, raises a fascinating question: If we had every assurance we could never get caught and punished, would we be foolish to continue to obey ethical rules

The expectation is that the weekly essay assignments are formal essays. That means an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. General rule for the main body is that the number of paragraphs corresponds to the number of points being made. I don't think you can answer these questions completely, while adhering to the above, in less than two full pages typed double-spaced.
Assignment E4: Answer the following.
4. Plato, at the beginning of The Republic, raises a fascinating question: If we had every assurance we could never get caught and punished, would we be foolish to continue to obey ethical rules? Would there be any reason for that person to act morally? Glaucon, a speaker in The Republic, argues that people only act justly because they believe that the action will reap reward (cf. “the ring of Gyges”). On the view he expresses, would there be any reason prior to living in a society to do the right thing? Does the practice of ethics only make sense in the context of living in a society? Does the answer to this question suggest a reason why people can obtain their wants while minimizing their fear of threat and harm by forming a social contract?
Context: The Ring of Gyges
The Ring of Gyges is a mythical magical artifact mentioned by the philosopher Plato in Book 2 of his "Republic." It grants its owner the power to become invisible at will. Through the story of the ring, Republic considers whether an intelligent person would be just if one did not have to fear any bad reputation for committing injustices. Glaucon (Plato’s brother) asks whether any man can be so virtuous that he could resist the temptation of killing, robbing, raping or generally doing injustice to whomever he pleased if he could do so without having to fear detection. Glaucon wants Socrates to argue that it's beneficial for us to be just apart from all considerations of our reputation. Socrates ultimately argues that justice does not derive from this social construct: the man who abused the power of the Ring of Gyges has in fact enslaved himself to his appetites, while the man who chose not to use it remains rationally in control of himself and is therefore happy.