Plato's Republic: The Noble Lie

 Hello, 

In this post, I am going to focus on the so-called "Noble Lie" presented in Book III of Republic. I'm going to discuss what it is, its purpose, and the controversy surrounding it. 

I. What is the Noble Lie? 

The Noble Lie, also known as the Myth of Metals is presented towards the end of Book III. Socrates proposes a foundational myth that would be told to all citizens of the kallipolis, or ideal city. 

All citizens would be told that the are born from the earth of the city and that the land is their mother. Therefore, all of the other citizens are their brothers and sisters. While they are forming underground, the gods mix different metals into their souls, those being:

- Gold: those destined to be rulers (Guardians Class I - Philosopher-Kings)

- Silver: those destined to defend the city as warriors (Guardians Class II - Auxiliaries)

- Bronze/Iron: those destined to be farmers and other producers. 

Children of each class will tend to have the same metal as their parents, but there is a chance where gold parents could have a silver child, and so on. There is no adult social mobility, it is based on natural aptitude. This ensures that people are assigned to the class best suiting their specialization. 

II. What is the purpose of it?

The overall purpose is to promote social harmony in the city. By promoting the idea of earth being everyone's mother, a sense of collective identity is established. It also provides a natural justification for the class system. Citizens are meant to believe their standing is based on their assigned nature from the gods. Plato seems to believe that not all of the citizens would be capable of understanding the city's structure. In effect, this "useful fiction" serves to be a more accessible understanding for the desired behavior of its citizens. 

III. Controversy

The Noble Lie has been the subject of criticism throughout history. The most apparent issue is with how ethically sound it is. It seems to completely undermine the whole point of constructing the kallipolis in the first place. If this city is meant to understand civic justice, how could a society built on a lie be just? 

I don't know what Plato's intent was with introducing this myth. Part of me guesses that he must know that this social order would not be naturally accepted in this city (if it truly is anywhere). Perhaps he thought it was necessary for this purpose alone. I can also understand the argument of the Lie being acceptable because it only serves to benefit its people. By the sounds of it, the rulers are meant to believe the lie as well. This raises some questions: is the Lie meant to be intentionally deceptive or a belief about their worldview? Is this still a lie in the same sense?