noble lie
Salutary political myth
A noble lie is a myth or untruth deliberately propagated by leaders to maintain social harmony or achieve a perceived greater good.
The concept originates with Plato, who proposed that rulers might justifiably deceive citizens about their origins to preserve social order.
The term now applies broadly to any strategic deception deemed beneficial: The founding myth was a noble lie that unified the nation.
It carries inherent tension—the modifier "noble" sits uneasily with "lie," inviting skepticism about who decides what deceptions serve the common good.
- Plato's RepublicGreek dialogue on justice
- truthAccordance with reality
- deceptionIntentional misleading of others
- mythosBody of foundational legends
- social orderStructured arrangement of community
fiction · philosopher king · allegory of the cave · civic virtue · auxiliaries · founding myth · falsehood · mendacity · fabrication · social contract · ideal state · specialization · harmony · justice · public good · polis · Socratic irony · paternalism
- PlatoPlato, academy, Academy, allegory, the Republic
- Plato's Republicthe Republic, Socrates, philosopher king, guardians, auxiliaries
- Platonic philosophyforms, soul, ideal forms, nous, logos
- moral sayingsdo unto others, golden rule, do the right thing, honesty is the best policy, treat others fairly
noble liebrutal honesty
Unsparing directness in speech
unvarnished truth · hard truth · candor · full disclosure · plain truth
noble liebig lie
Significant, brazen untruth
disinformation · gaslighting · agitprop · black propaganda · demagoguery
noble, lie, nobility, nobly, ennoble, noblesse, ignoble, lied, lies