Two are the types of lies around which he builds his argument: true falsehoods and spoken lies. Telling true falsehoods is seen as a pernicious and self-destructive action misleading the soul into ignorance, a condition of the individual incapable of appreciating the true nature of life and existence. On the other hand, telling spoken lies is an ennobling action with not direct repercussions in the soul, for the reason that spoken lies are not real lies, but mere imitations of the Idea lie. Contrary to the negative effect that true falsehoods have over the soul, spoken lies can help an individual to arrive to the knowledge of the truth. By contrasting these two concepts of lie, Plato establishes a moral basement to support a mechanism of control over his republic. One in which the guardians act as moral guides and censors. Due to the nature of their task, the guardians are permitted to tell spoken lies, ennobling action whose purpose is to propagate the truth, without compromising their role as platonic
Two are the types of lies around which he builds his argument: true falsehoods and spoken lies. Telling true falsehoods is seen as a pernicious and self-destructive action misleading the soul into ignorance, a condition of the individual incapable of appreciating the true nature of life and existence. On the other hand, telling spoken lies is an ennobling action with not direct repercussions in the soul, for the reason that spoken lies are not real lies, but mere imitations of the Idea lie. Contrary to the negative effect that true falsehoods have over the soul, spoken lies can help an individual to arrive to the knowledge of the truth. By contrasting these two concepts of lie, Plato establishes a moral basement to support a mechanism of control over his republic. One in which the guardians act as moral guides and censors. Due to the nature of their task, the guardians are permitted to tell spoken lies, ennobling action whose purpose is to propagate the truth, without compromising their role as platonic