I am assuming that this was a joke/comic insight...and it was pretty funny :)

Maybe, since he couldn't die while he had the ring...and since he couldn't live without having a little "good" left in him (his soul--a sort of Socratic view of the soul), the natural effect was a bifurcation of his personality...the good side that wept and cried in the darkness, Smeagol...and the dark, obsessive side enraptured with the ring, Gollum.

In order to survive, he relied on Gollum...in order to live, he separated from the ring so that Smeagol could exist. Anyways, that's my theory. Makes sense when you think about why a starving, corrupt creature would agree to play a game of riddles with a plump, helpless hobbit. Or later save Frodo's life while, at the same time, planning his death (the climb to the spider's lair, I think...I'll have to double check).

So...now that I put some of the basics down...

Gollum might be a duality: Smeagol and Gollum. According to Socrates (my philosophy 101 class) you must have a soul to be alive.

The ring possesses Sauron's soul, which, apparently, is immortal. It follows that Sauron's soul possesses the ability to grant those souls around it temporary immortality as well. However, one does not need to actually wear the ring to be immortal.

Next, when one puts on the ring, one becomes invisible: truly invisible. Recall that Gandalf mentions that true invisibility is basically non-existent in his thousands of years of experience on the earth (first book of LOTR, I believe).

Now consider this: why does the ring extend the immortality of Sauron's soul to the bearer, but fail to actually turn the bearer himself Into Sauron? Ie, a Sauron ghola.

Perhaps this is where the soul comes into play: Since one must have, according to Socrates, a soul to exist...and since all souls are created equal (like charge-positive, negative), then when one piles Sauron's inanimate soul (bound to a ring) on top of an animated soul (a living body), the two neutralize eachother, which manifests in the form of "true" invisibility.

So...since Smeagol exists for 600+ years bearing the ring without turning into Sauron, I think that his continued existence (and, therefore Sauron's) is dependent on him not always wearing the ring...so the ring must slip off of his hand in order to protect itself, lest they both disappear into the wraith-world, and Sauron's tie to the Mortal plane disappear forever.

Anyways, I am pretty sure that is the gist of it: either it is Smeagol reacting to preserve himself and survive, or it is Sauron's soul leeching as much life from it's host without killing them both...Either way, I bet that, in Tolkein's microcosm, neither the ring nor the bearer can survive if they are joined forever. Or maybe its just a hassle to walk up stairs when you can't see your feet. I don't know.

LOL. I feel like a kid again :)

I am assuming that this was a joke/comic insight...and it was pretty funny :)

Maybe, since he couldn't die while he had the ring...and since he couldn't live without having a little "good" left in him (his soul--a sort of Socratic view of the soul), the natural effect was a bifurcation of his personality...the good side that wept and cried in the darkness, Sméagol...and the dark, obsessive side enraptured with the ring, Gollum.

In order to survive, he relied on Gollum...in order to live, he separated from the ring so that Sméagol could exist. Anyways, that's my theory. Makes sense when you think about why a starving, corrupt creature would agree to play a game of riddles with a plump, helpless hobbit. Or later save Frodo's life while, at the same time, planning his death (the climb to the spider's lair, I think...I'll have to double check).

So...now that I put some of the basics down...

Gollum might be a duality: Sméagol and Gollum. According to Socrates (my philosophy 101 class) you must have a soul to be alive.

The ring possesses Sauron's soul, which, apparently, is immortal. It follows that Sauron's soul possesses the ability to grant those souls around it temporary immortality as well. However, one does not need to actually wear the ring to be immortal.

Next, when one puts on the ring, one becomes invisible: truly invisible. Recall that Gandalf mentions that true invisibility is basically non-existent in his thousands of years of experience on the earth (first book of LotR, I believe).

Now consider this: why does the ring extend the immortality of Sauron's soul to the bearer, but fail to actually turn the bearer himself Into Sauron? i.e. a Sauron ghola.

Perhaps this is where the soul comes into play: Since one must have, according to Socrates, a soul to exist...and since all souls are created equal (like charge-positive, negative), then when one piles Sauron's inanimate soul (bound to a ring) on top of an animated soul (a living body), the two neutralize each other, which manifests in the form of "true" invisibility.

So...since Sméagol exists for 600+ years bearing the ring without turning into Sauron, I think that his continued existence (and, therefore Sauron's) is dependent on him not always wearing the ring...so the ring must slip off of his hand in order to protect itself, lest they both disappear into the wraith-world, and Sauron's tie to the Mortal plane disappear forever.

Anyways, I am pretty sure that is the gist of it: either it is Sméagol reacting to preserve himself and survive, or it is Sauron's soul leeching as much life from it's host without killing them both...Either way, I bet that, in Tolkien's microcosm, neither the ring nor the bearer can survive if they are joined forever. Or maybe its just a hassle to walk up stairs when you can't see your feet. I don't know.

I am assuming that this was a joke/comic insight...and it was pretty funny :)

Maybe, since he couldn't die while he had the ring...and since he couldn't live without having a little "good" left in him (his soul--a sort of Socratic view of the soul), the natural effect was a bifurcation of his personality...the good side that wept and cried in the darkness, Smeagol...and the dark, obsessive side enraptured with the ring, Gollum.

In order to survive, he relied on Gollum...in order to live, he separated from the ring so that Smeagol could exist. Anyways, that's my theory. Makes sense when you think about why a starving, corrupt creature would agree to play a game of riddles with a plump, helpless hobbit. Or later save Frodo's life while, at the same time, planning his death (the climb to the spider's lair, I think...I'll have to double check).

So...now that I put some of the basics down...

Gollum might be a duality: Smeagol and Gollum. According to Socrates (my philosophy 101 class) you must have a soul to be alive.

The ring possesses Sauron's soul, which, apparently, is immortal. It follows that Sauron's soul possesses the ability to grant those souls around it temporary immortality as well. However, one does not need to actually wear the ring to be immortal.

Next, when one puts on the ring, one becomes invisible: truly invisible. Recall that Gandalf mentions that true invisibility is basically non-existent in his thousands of years of experience on the earth (first book of LOTR, I believe).

Now consider this: why does the ring extend the immortality of Sauron's soul to the bearer, but fail to actually turn the bearer himself Into Sauron? Ie, a Sauron ghola.

Perhaps this is where the soul comes into play: Since one must have, according to Socrates, a soul to exist...and since all souls are created equal (like charge-positive, negative), then when one piles Sauron's inanimate soul (bound to a ring) on top of an animated soul (a living body), the two neutralize eachother, which manifests in the form of "true" invisibility.

So...since Smeagol exists for 600+ years bearing the ring without turning into Sauron, I think that his continued existence (and, therefore Sauron's) is dependent on him not always wearing the ring...so the ring must slip off of his hand in order to protect itself, lest they both disappear into the wraith-world, and Sauron's tie to the Mortal plane disappear forever.

Anyways, I am pretty sure that is the gist of it.

LOL. I feel like a kid again :)

I am assuming that this was a joke/comic insight...and it was pretty funny :)

Maybe, since he couldn't die while he had the ring...and since he couldn't live without having a little "good" left in him (his soul--a sort of Socratic view of the soul), the natural effect was a bifurcation of his personality...the good side that wept and cried in the darkness, Smeagol...and the dark, obsessive side enraptured with the ring, Gollum.

In order to survive, he relied on Gollum...in order to live, he separated from the ring so that Smeagol could exist. Anyways, that's my theory. Makes sense when you think about why a starving, corrupt creature would agree to play a game of riddles with a plump, helpless hobbit. Or later save Frodo's life while, at the same time, planning his death (the climb to the spider's lair, I think...I'll have to double check).

So...now that I put some of the basics down...

Gollum might be a duality: Smeagol and Gollum. According to Socrates (my philosophy 101 class) you must have a soul to be alive.

The ring possesses Sauron's soul, which, apparently, is immortal. It follows that Sauron's soul possesses the ability to grant those souls around it temporary immortality as well. However, one does not need to actually wear the ring to be immortal.

Next, when one puts on the ring, one becomes invisible: truly invisible. Recall that Gandalf mentions that true invisibility is basically non-existent in his thousands of years of experience on the earth (first book of LOTR, I believe).

Now consider this: why does the ring extend the immortality of Sauron's soul to the bearer, but fail to actually turn the bearer himself Into Sauron? Ie, a Sauron ghola.

Perhaps this is where the soul comes into play: Since one must have, according to Socrates, a soul to exist...and since all souls are created equal (like charge-positive, negative), then when one piles Sauron's inanimate soul (bound to a ring) on top of an animated soul (a living body), the two neutralize eachother, which manifests in the form of "true" invisibility.

So...since Smeagol exists for 600+ years bearing the ring without turning into Sauron, I think that his continued existence (and, therefore Sauron's) is dependent on him not always wearing the ring...so the ring must slip off of his hand in order to protect itself, lest they both disappear into the wraith-world, and Sauron's tie to the Mortal plane disappear forever.

Anyways, I am pretty sure that is the gist of it: either it is Smeagol reacting to preserve himself and survive, or it is Sauron's soul leeching as much life from it's host without killing them both...Either way, I bet that, in Tolkein's microcosm, neither the ring nor the bearer can survive if they are joined forever. Or maybe its just a hassle to walk up stairs when you can't see your feet. I don't know.

LOL. I feel like a kid again :)