The Concept of Noble Lie - Essay Example

Discuss the “Noble lie” (noble fiction) (414c). What is the lie? Why is it “noble”? With reference to Plato’s epistemology why might a noble lie be the best a ruler can offer to those ruled? Why must the ruler lie rather than tell the truth? The concept of “Noble lie” originates from the implication of “noble falsehood” as described in the Republic of Plato. A ruler could use this falsehood or a fictional narration, which could motivate people of his state to participate in a battle voluntarily. People could be persuaded to believe this story as many poets claimed. First the rulers and soldiers should be convinced that their education and experiences were simply a dream and the Mother Earth created the weapons. They were shaped inside the earth and then the Mother Earth sent them upwards to the people living on earth to use them. Then the same thing should be narrated to the soldiers and craftsmen to convince them that the earth also made their crafts and tools and then sent it for them. Hence if their land was attacked by outside forces it was their duty to protect their mother who made these things for them – “they must plan on its behalf and defend it as their mother and nurse and think of the other citizens as their earthborn brothers” (Plato, 91). The second part to the story is that the citizens were brothers of one another and made of different metals. For instance people who were capable to become the ruler had some gold mixed while God made them. The auxiliaries were made of silver; the craftsmen and farmers were made of bronze and iron. In most cases silver metal will give birth to silver and gold-to-gold but sometimes a silver parent might give birth to a gold child and hence the successive generations will develop further mixtures of these metals – “So the first and most important command from the god to the rulers is that there is nothing that they must guard better or watch more carefully than the mixture of metals in the souls of the next generation. If an offspring of theirs should be bound to have a mixture of iron and bronze, they must not pity him in anyway, give him the rank appropriate to his nature and drive him out to join the craftsmen and farmers” (Plato, 91). The opposite would happen is iron or bronze gave birth to silver or gold children. Such children will be honored as per their true status. Therefore the people could be moved up and down the social ladder based on the kind of metals they were formed from. These metals in reality stand for virtues of human beings, which set them apart from others. Thus Plato narrates this wave of justice through the words of Socrates. According to him the best way of giving rise to an ideal town is by having three classes – the rulers, auxiliaries/soldiers and the producers. For instance, soldier will not learn the tales of revolution and will be trained in skills most appropriate to him. In this manner there will be a city, which will not revolt and be tied with a bond of unification. Socrates also moves on to say that people do not have the choice to breed the kind of metal they want. The mates are chosen by nature in such a way that the best offspring could come to the earth will the optimum mix of metals. Owing to this myth people will be happy and always be in harmony. Now this kind of fiction or story does not have any scientific base. This is essentially why this is called a lie. The truth is different from what is told to people by the philosopher. Weapons and tools are man made objects shaped for their purposes. War takes place either for defense or for other power plays played by the rulers. Also there is nothing called metals within our body. The ranks of metals are arranged according to their monetary worth. It stands for the skills and virtues of different people, which finally determine their professions. The noble lie is the best that a ruler can offer to his subjects because this will create a peaceful state as people will do their specific work and not interfere in others’ jurisdiction. Once the classification is made with the help of metals it will be easy to determine one’s class and keep oneself confined to the same. However following the noble lie a person, according to his virtues will be entitled to deserved status. Thus if a woman is intelligent and has the ability even she should be given access to proper education. Hence in order to sustain peace and harmony and build the ideal state the ruler must lie. This lie will also help in motivating their subjects and generate a spirit of patriotism within them. Referring to his epistemology, one may find Plato’s claim, “good judgement, is really some kind of knowledge, for it’s through knowledge, not ignorance that people judge well” (Plato, 103). Now the noble lie will help in imparting that knowledge which will help everyone judge well. Soldiers will not learn how to rule and hence follow the king’s orders. Craftsmen and farmers will deal with production with the notion that they are serving their Mother Earth who made the tools for them. So everyone will judge in an optimum manner for their state. 2) Explain Descartes’ justification for doubting his reason in meditation one. In the third meditation Descartes discovers an idea in his mind that solves the problem. What is this idea? What, according to Descartes, must be the source of this idea and how does he argue for it? How does the existence of this idea solve the earlier problem with reason? In Meditation 1 Descartes begin to eliminate those beliefs about which he has even a little doubt. He recalls of his sense, which led him to believe in something and then deceived him –“I was convinced of the necessity of undertaking once in my life to rid myself of all the opinions I had adopted, and of commencing anew the work of building from the foundation, if I desired to establish a firm and abiding superstructure in the sciences” (Decartes, 73). However to know the truth he had to wait till that mature age when he will not be guided by passions. If there is any doubt in each part of something then rejecting or getting rid of the entire object or thought is the ideal thing to do. Thus he withholds his faith from anything which is not absolutely certain or assured to him. The minimum arousal of doubt leads him to ignore it and reject it as false. Once the foundation on which the beliefs are based upon is removed the entire belief will be falsified and destroyed. He first considers whether his perceptions are coming in his dreams but when he says that if he is deceived then he also knows that his beliefs cannot be trusted upon –“some malignant demon, who is at once exceedingly potent and deceitful, has employed all his artifice to deceive me” (Decartes, 76). Hence he moves on to assume that instead of the Deity it is the demon who is guiding his beliefs. Now, if he is unable to reach the truth about his existence and things around him he should do at least that in his power, that is reject anything that is doubtful – “if indeed by this means it be not in my power to arrive at the knowledge of truth, I shall at least do what is in my power, viz., [ suspend my judgment ], and guard with settled purpose against giving my assent to what is false, and being imposed upon by this deceiver, whatever be his power and artifice” (Decartes, 103). The idea, which helps Descartes to solve the problem described above, is the belief in himself. Therefore when a perception occurs to him, it is necessary to ask from where this originates. Anything perceived originates form within himself and hence these things exist in him. There might be some ideas, which are not originating from within himself and hence he cannot be their cause. Hence he moves on to believe that he could not solely be the cause behind this but there might be another being like him existing as the cause of the same. Descartes explains that if no such ideas exist then he would not have any reason to say or believe that there was at least another being like himself. He also says that one idea gives birth to another and this continues, explaining all the objects around him. Thus he solves the problem of doubtfulness and rejecting ideas in Meditations 3. Now, there are ideas related to taste, heat, cold etc, which are explained as follows: “whether or not the ideas I have of these qualities are in truth the ideas of real objects. For although I before remarked that it is only in judgments that formal falsity, or falsity properly so called, can be met with, there may nevertheless be found in ideas a certain material falsity, which arises when they represent what is nothing as if it were something…I am unable form them to discover whether cold is only the privation of heat, or heat the privation of cold. ” (Decartes, 92). He also logically says that all the attributes and power rendered to God was actually present within him as it was within him that the ideas generated. He also ascertains the idea that God is infinite and created him and all others like alike. During this creation he has placed an image of Himself in human beings. Thus he logically explains and clarifies the doubts presented in Meditations 1. Works Cited Plato, Republic, George Maximilian Anthony Grube and C.D.C Reeve (trans.), Hackett Publishing, 1992. Descartes, Rene, Meditations, Cosimo, Inc., 2008. Read More