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Essay / The notion of the noble lie in The Republic
The “noble lie” is perhaps one of the most troubling and thought-provoking aspects of Plato's Republic. Through its use, people of the “righteous regime” are intentionally misled and misdirected in an attempt to make them united as a group and loyal to the regime. The “noble lie” constitutes the foundation of the just regime that Socrates describes in books 4 and 5 of Plato's Republic by giving everyone an equal origin and fixing the social position and class of everyone in the just regime. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayThe Noble Lie consists of two parts, the first being that "training" and "instruction" (this is i.e. education) of everyone in the right regime was just a dream in the bowels of mother earth (Plato, 414d), and when they were finished, they were returned to the surface of the earth. It is one of the most unifying elements of the foundation of the just regime because of its egalitarian implications. If the earth is their mother, all come from a common principle. The second part of the noble lie is to classify righteous diet people into metal groups. Socrates believes that the people must be told that their leaders, called Guardians, have “gold in the composition of such…”. That the soldiers, called Auxiliaries, have "silver...[as] an ingredient", and that the "workers" and farmers are "allocated...iron and bronze..." (Plato, 414 b). While the first part seems to confirm their equality, the second part classifies them into the appropriate groups towards which they are most inclined. This guarantees unity, but at the same time a city that has the different parts and occupations necessary to accomplish the different works. The usefulness of the “noble lie” as a foundation is first seen in chapter 4 when Socrates sets out to define justice. Socrates believes he can achieve this by finding certain virtues, or “qualities” in the city. He begins by asserting that "...if we can find some of these qualities in the city, there will remain a remainder consisting of undiscovered qualities." After some philosophical reflections, Glaucon and Socrates propose “wisdom, courage and temperance” as these “qualities” (Plato, 427d-430d). Coincidentally, these are the virtues of the city's different classes. Gold is wise, silver is courageous, and iron and brass are sober. Socrates finds the definition of justice by noting that if these three virtues are in harmony, then justice will be found: “…doing one's own thing, in one form or another, is justice” (Plato, 433 b). By definition, the “noble lie” created the basis of the just regime: justice. All classes: bronze and iron, silver and gold, by carrying out their respective work, will create the justice that Socrates advocates. As long as they don't interfere with each other, everything should be fine. However, it is interesting to note that Socrates actually clarifies the definition of justice by referring to the classes of the city. He asks whether it would be very detrimental to the city if "a carpenter...performs the work of a shoemaker..." or vice versa (workers of the same class). To which Glaucon responds in the negative. Socrates then declares that it would be "... ruinous for the city..." for an "artisan... to interfere in the class of advisors and guardians..." (Plato, 434 ab), arguing thus the idea of justice in reference to classes. Unlike chapter 4, where Socrates only defines, in chapter 5 he is called by Polemarchus and Adeimantus to defend certain aspects of his “just regime”. Here again, the “noble lie”.