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The Myth Of Metals-The Noble Lie By Socrates

1674 Words7 Pages

Within Book III, the question of how to choose their rulers is brought to the attention of both Socrates and our interlocutor – Glaucon. They discuss the best methods for this selection and what a good ruler should and should not be. This dialogue opens the discussion of finding a falsehood that can persuade even rulers and possibly create a better city, leading to the usage of the Myth of Metals – the Noble Lie. Glaucon at first immediately agrees with Socrates’ point that guardians must believe they will always have to do and discern what is good for the city and never try to do the opposite. The guardians should never be coerced to abandon this belief. This puzzles Glaucon. Our interlocutor doesn’t understand how this could account for …show more content…

Socrates begins to explain how the people all stem from the same “mother”, but they all have a different characteristic within. They have different souls. This portion starts with this: “‘All of you in the city are brothers…but the god who made you mixed some gold into those who are adequately equipped to rule because they are most valuable. He put silver in those who are auxiliaries and iron and bronze in the farmers and other craftsmen…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’” (Plato 91[III.415a-b]). This mixture Socrates speaks of must be watched carefully. The citizens would have to give that person the appropriate title and or job based on the type of metal they have or are mixed with. It is not a bad thing to be mad with multiple metals. The citizens just have to give notice of it and place them where they belong. However, Socrates gives the example of if there is ever an iron or bronze guardian the city will be in ruins. Socrates wants the people of the Republic to believe this story, but he just doesn’t know how to persuade them. (Plato

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