Andy Howe
Plato
10/27/03
Plato speaks about the noble lie as another form of justice. It is using the form of an unjust act but wielding it in the shape of justice. Socrates uses examples of how the noble lie would be conducted in the Polis through eugenics and by eliminating all privacy. The noble lie is used by the ruling class as a tool for justice to the city as a whole, having the greater good always in mind for future generations. Lies are never told to singularly benefit a specific group of the population including the ruling class, decisions are made only concerning what is best for the entire population.
Acting upon the good for the city for the present and the future, the ruling class controls who has children with whom and sets up the society in a way where people often marry multiple times and have children. Marriage is set up to be a completely different concept in the Polis compared to our present day society. In the Polis, marriage is usually a temporary sexually oriented relationship, which purposes are to produce improved offspring to benefit the population for future generations. Socrates says, “there is a need for the best men to have intercourse as often as possible with the best women, and the reverse for the most ordinary men with the most ordinary women; and the offspring of the former must be reared but not that of the others, if the flock is going to be of the most eminent quality.” (459 d, e). This quote presents breeding of humans for different purposes; it speaks of people being bred for high-class positions and for their performance. Likewise people are being bred for the working class positions to maximize their quality and production. Socrates goes further by saying, “…as the offspring are born, won’t they be taken over by the officers established for this purpose… take the offspring of the good and bring them into the pen.” (460 b, c). He is saying that the good children born from guardians or other classes must be taken away and put into a common place where they will be trained for their “purpose.” Then, the deformed, “they will hide away in an unspeakable and unseen place, as is seemly.” (460 c). Meaning, anyone born with defects or imperfections will be shunned away as not to disrupt the others from serving their purposes.
The city is set up in a way where nobody is allowed to live a private life in any aspect. Here is where Allan Bloom notes Socrates’ plans for the abolishment of privacy, “…offspring of the unions must become part of public property. The family is abolished, unless one considers the city as one family.” (Interpretive Essay, page 385). Through this it can be grasped that there will be an absence of privacy, for, “…men are finally deprived of everything which they might love more than the city; all men are brothers.” (Interpretive Essay, page 385). Meaning, by having everything public, men will become dependent on the city for everything, and they will love it. The city is their family meaning, “The blood ties bind and have a morality of their own which keeps the mind from wandering freely over the world; they stand in the way of natural fulfillment. Men are usually torn between duty to their own and duty to the good.” (Interpretive Essay, page 385). Leading to the conclusion that by having the city be the family blood ties would no longer have any significance or recognition whatsoever, thus, the city has incest.
To cross-reference Plato’s notion of the noble lie to our present day society, it is noteworthy that the conditions, methods, and aims are different. However, the similarity lies in the concern for the overall good and justice of the society as a whole. So conclusively, the noble lie has the same ultimate meaning or purpose but through both Plato’s polis and reality they are preformed differently and are used in different areas. In Plato’s polis, the underlying philosophy lies in the act of eugenics and differing from the nature of humans by subtracting shame and the privacy from the lifestyle of the population. However, in reality, noble lies are told in subjects dealing with natural resources, safety, and war instead of around lifestyles and privacy. There are not any absolutely confirmed incidents where the noble lie has been performed, only many suspicions not specifically ridiculing them or the performers, only acknowledging them, for the intentions of the noble lie is for the benefit of the ruled. A suspected example of a noble lie in reality is the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It is believed that the United States’ government knew that the attack was going to occur through the translation of Japanese communications, but they let the bombing happen anyways in an effort to rally up the American people to go to war. This sidetracks the population into concentrating on Pearl Harbor and how they are punishing the bad people whereas the true reason for war remains with the high government officials. These officials do no wish to release the true reason for war because they fear the population would not back them and they would not understand the complete benefits of the officials’ decisions, and they would, therefore, be thought of as fools.
In conclusion, the noble lie is used in many different ways through Plato’s polis and for its purposes, as well as and through reality, both, however, resulting in benefit for the city as a whole.

- posted by Anonymous @ 11:13 PM