This is a short paper I wrote for my political theory course I took as a breadth requirement for my degree this past year.

The Usefulness of Socrates' 'Noble Lie'

The ‘noble lie’ that Socrates proposes at the end of book three of the Republic (414b-415d) is intended as support for the city model that he, Adeimantus and Glaucon have been building. The lie is a means of justifying the social and political structure of the city to its citizenry. The ‘nobility’ of the lie is meant to rest in its goal. By reinforcing the social order, and by binding each class to one another in a spirit of brotherhood, the lie contributes to the stability of the society. Certain truths are contained in the lie, but although it is seemingly made with good intentions, the fact of its necessity suggests that there are fundamental problems with the model. In the end, the lie could prove to be the biggest problem of all.

Socrates recognizes that it is going to take more than honour and pride instilled through education to ensure that the guardian class stays in line with the established order. He says: “ ‘Could we . . . somehow contrive one of those lies that come into being in case of need . . . some one noble lie to persuade, in the best case, even the rulers, but if not them, the rest of the city?’ ” (414c) The myth is meant to cement the guardians, auxiliaries and artisans together as a kind of ‘super-family’. “ ‘All of you in the city are certainly brothers,’ ”(415a), they will be told. Socrates is bringing in again the idea of familial attachment that he had banished before the discussion of the lie. In its original form, it was thought that this attachment would encourage people to hold their families as a priority before the needs of the city. Shifting this familial attachment to the city is meant to shift the loyalty of each citizen from the personal to the communal. In caring for their brothers, the citizens of each class are meant to submit to the order of things by performing the tasks assigned to them by their lot in life.

This is where the ‘nobility’ of this lie is to be found. One may think of the lie as noble in that it cements the citizens into a mutually dependent whole. Without a common bond, what would ultimately hold the city together? What would prevent the guardian-class from becoming a nomadic band of high-minded mercenaries, or the artisans from being a self-sufficient city with a citizen militia? Why should the guardians protect and care for a class that, by the standards of the guardians’ own education, seems beneath them? How could the artisans relate to the austere and intellectual guardians, and desire to be ruled by them, rather than by themselves? The lie is noble then, in that it creates the sensibility that (supposedly) allows Socrates’ experiment in justice to exist. It justifies the interdependency that allows this particular city to exist, and not some other that might develop naturally from the founding conditions that were laid down at the beginning of Socrates' conversation with Glaucon and Adeimantus.

One can say that there are some truths in this founding myth. People are born with different abilities and aptitudes, and some are more fit to rule than others. Those who are fit to rule however, can come from anywhere, and should be sought and recognized for what they are. Given the proper chance, a well-suited person from any background can succeed. Those in the city have common origins, and need each other to survive, and live well. All of these ideas are contained in the founding myth, and give it a ‘ring of truth’, perhaps. These truths strengthen the power of the myth, in that they lend their credibility to the story as a whole. The artisans, who don’t have the guardian’s education, may intuitively sense these truths and accept the myth as a whole. The guardians, however, may come to recognize the myth for what it is, but hold on to it and perpetuate it for the sake of these truths.

The fact that this lie seems necessary to the well-being of the city, however, reveals that there are real problems with this model. The need to fabricate a reason to hold the city together underlines the schisms inherent in the way the city is designed. While the guardian-rulers and guardian-auxiliaries are made for each other, the third class of artisans has a lifestyle, education and outlook that are fundamentally different from that of the guardians. Beyond the lie, there isn’t much to prevent the sundering of the city, or perhaps an ultimate subjugation of the artisans by the guardians, should things go badly. If the lie fails, the city, at worst, would be destroyed. At best, it would greatly deviate from their plans. The problems caused by the structure of the city are intractable, and to be rid of them, the city would have to be rebuilt.

All citations from: The Republic of Plato, translated by Allan Bloom, Basic Books, 1991.