Noble lie

In sociology, social psychology and social philosophy, the concept of a noble lie is a myth or a lie that is prevalent in a society, and that either emerges on its own or is propagated by an elite in order to maintain social order or for the "greater good". It is argued by some to be an example of the psychological concept of groupthink.

Descriptions of it and application of terminology to it, date back as early as ancient Greece in Plato's The Republic.

In his political philosophy work The Republic, Plato presented the noble lie (γενναῖον ψεῦδος, gennaion pseudos) in the fictional tale known as the myth or parable of the metals in Book III. In it, Socrates provides the origin of the three social classes who compose the republic proposed by Plato. Socrates proposes and claims that if the people believed "this myth...[it] would have a good effect, making them more inclined to care for the state and one another."

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