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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A paper which considers the idea that lying can be "not only necessary but commendable" with specific reference to Plato's doctrine of the Noble Lie as expressed in the Republic. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JL5_JLlies.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
cases, to lie is not only excusable, but commendable." (Henry Fielding, Tom Jones) Despite the fact that a lack of honesty is pervasive
throughout western society, in all walks of life from advertising to politics, we tend to work on the assumption that lying is in fact wrong, and that telling the truth
at all times is a sign of moral virtue. This idea is reinforced by various religious and secular teachings, and therefore we acknowledge that honesty is an ideal we should
strive towards, even if our everyday actions do not conform to that ideal. However, is there any situation in which it could be argued
that lying is, as Fielding says "not only excusable but commendable"? According to Plato, there is indeed: this is the "Noble Lie", which he asserts is essential to the smooth
functioning of the social order. In The Republic, Plato gives a description of a society where the people are divided into different groups
- rulers, farmers, auxiliaries and so on. Rulers are drawn from a military elite, known as guardians, and auxiliaries are trainee guardians. The "noble lie" concerns the rationale for this
stratification of society. The rulers tell the populace that the divisions between one social group and another are because of divine intervention: God has put different kinds of metal into
the souls of the people, and these dictate their position in the social "pecking order". Those whose souls contain gold are of a higher rank than those with silver, who
in turn are higher than those with iron. Plato argued that this deception was necessary in order to maintain
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