The Noble Lie

 Socrates presents us with the noble lie which is conflicting to me and to all the readers that know how valuable truth is to him. By structuring the state and assigning predestined "metals" to the citizens, he is not just lying to them but is also establishing a functioning structure. As mentioned in class, the question of plainly stating this structure as a lie is interesting. Why would he purposely be so direct in addressing this? But the adjective in this lie is what I think is the most important. It is not just a lie, it is a noble one. To me, this suggests that one way or another this is ultimately for the purpose of bringing about a positive effect on the state, regardless of it being truthful or not. Despite the negative aspects that his caste structure entails, such as censorship, it brings clarification to individuals who are seeking their role on the world and creates a type of unity and functionality because there is less questions to be made: "I'll achieve my role here as low metal and do it right, because I know I can never become gold, simply because it is impossible." I still believe that the ultimate goal of Socrates is to find the truth, and even within this lie his true purpose is ultimate truth. He might think that the truth cannot be reached In a dysfunctional state, and that the purpose of the noble lie is one of a stepping stone to something greater.