The Noble Lie in Plato´s The Republic - 1438 Words

In The Republic Book 3, Plato uses a fictional character named Socrates to argue that people in society must be handpicked to rule as well as also handpicking people to become ruled in order to confirm there will be no disagreements over who is leading. He essentially claims choosing what every citizen does with their life is necessary for creating a steady and working structure in society. This theory of telling people what they were destined to do in life is known as the â€Å"noble lie.† It tells everyone a â€Å"religious lie† that people all originate from the same place and are siblings of each other, an attempt to convince everyone to get along regardless of their social class. Personally I do not believe that Plato’s arguments in his book are correct and that the use of a â€Å"noble lie† would not work in society. The â€Å"noble lie† begins with dividing the people of a city into three different categories of social classes known as guardi ans, auxiliaries, and producers. The guardians are the highest class and would be considered as the rulers of the city. The auxiliaries are what would be considered nowadays as the middle class and are warriors who dedicate themselves to fight and protect the people of the area they live in. Last but not least are producers who are farmers that primarily make up the lower class. The lie goes on to claim that people cannot control their social status through their hard work and dedication, but their place in life is a decision chose by God when theyShow MoreRelatedThe Republic By Plato And The Prince By Machiavelli1617 Words   |  7 PagesAlthough written nearly two centuries apart, The Republic by Plato and The Prince by Machiavelli offer important views on political philosophies of rulers. Plato writes of a perfect society where status as ruler is naturally selected through innate abilities. These abilities are used to sustain the society, better it, and preserve it. 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In Book III of the Republic, written by Plato, there is a discussion between Socrates and Glaucon about telling a noble lie to the citizens of the Republic. The purpose of this noble lie will be to persuade the city to love and defend their city more. Socrates and Glaucon want to implement a lie from a Phoenician story called the myth of the metals. In short, the myth states that there are four types of souls: gold, silver, bronze, and iron; the different typesRead MoreThe Statement For The Politics Of Plato s Kallipolis2360 Words   |  10 Pagesbut it s nonsensical to believe that spirit and appetite can be persuaded of anything. After all, they are merely constituent parts of the soul (the parts lacking a deliberative capacity). Only a fully formed human being with a capacity for reason can understand the Noble Lie and be persuaded by it. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Defend your position through a close reading of the text. Be sure to explore the implicat ions of the statement for the politics of Plato s kallipolisRead MorePlato s The Republic Socratic Dialogue And Tsugmi Ohba And Takeshi Obata Death Note1769 Words   |  8 Pagesthemes/ideas being compared. E.g. Justice (and the idea) and the noble lie(and idea) †¢ State the key features each author uses to convey to the reader (in similar/different ways) †¢ How as a result of these features, the perspective of the reader is formed. Throughout Plato’s The Republic a Socratic dialogue and Tsugmi Ohba and Takeshi Obata Death Note a psychological/thriller, the issues of what constitutes as justice and the implications of noble lie are heavily debated between the characters and within theirRead More Intangible Justice is in the Soul Essay1352 Words   |  6 PagesIntangible Justice is in the Soul Plato’s Republic, although officially divided into ten books, can be separated into two very distinct sections. The first section, roughly spanning Books I through IV, contains a rather tangible investigation of justice in practice. Namely, the section considers what acts or occurrences are just, either in a city or in a man. The second section, beginning around Book V and continuing through the end of the dialogue, deals with the much more abstract issue ofRead MoreThe Republic Of Plato s Republic865 Words   |  4 Pagesgovernments, ideal cities and even ideal rulers over the course of the semester, from Aristotle’s Politics to the city described in the Melian dialogue, there is one that undoubtedly left a greater on me than the other- the city described in Plato’s Republic. From Plato’s remarkably feminist ideals and vague sense of barebones socialism, there’s a lot in this city that I hypothetically would throw my support behind. 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