Who would have fallen?

[obloquy]

Originally Posted by Lyta_Underhill

Or, we could apply set theory to the problem (without using symbols, since I can't remember them):

Sauron=Evil
One Ring=Subset of Sauron
One Ring=Evil

Of course, I am being reductionist and a little silly, but I had fun. I hope you had fun reading it! Just thought: you could substitute the characteristic "Sentient" for Evil and I guess you'd get the same relationship. The real question is "what characteristic parts of himself did Sauron transfer to the Ring, and how do these characteristics interact with the non-Sauron bearers?

Cheers!
Lyta

I don't see how this is silly reductionism. It's exactly accurate. We aren't talking about something that was once good that Sauron gave life to, but rather a piece of Sauron himself. It is evil as Sauron is evil, as it is a separate embodiment of Sauron himself: its will is his will, and its power is his power. Saucepan's generalization--that to define something as evil is to attribute to it sentience--may be sound in a very non-magical world. However, since the Ring is not inhabited by a distinct fea with its own conscious mind, but does "live" as an appendage of Sauron, I think it is a patent exception to the rule.