The Noble Lie
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[edit] Definition
The Noble Lie is a lie promoted for its effects. A related tactic in rhetoric is to argue for a statement based not on its truth but rather on the supposed effects of belief in the statement.
[edit] Examples
Example 1:
- It is the policy of the Centers for Disease Control that latex condoms do not break when used properly. This is not done based on actual studies of condom failure rates but rather on the idea that if the CDC admits that condoms do break, then people will consider them of no use whatsoever.
Example 2:
- Many drivers' education books contain the statement "Air bags don't kill people. They save lives," despite the fact that under many circumstances, air bags have killed or crippled people. While it is true that air bags have saved far more lives than they have taken, they are not promoted on these grounds but rather with a noble lie.
[edit] History
The Noble Lie is an invention of Plato. In The Republic, Plato presents a hypothetical stratified society as ideal. To keep this society together, the lie that the stratification is due to God is taught to all the people.
[edit] Discussion
One characteristic about the Noble Lie is that it always assumes that the target audience consists entirely of complete idiots. This weakens its effectiveness, because a substantial number of people are capable of thought. Upon detecting a lie, they are likely to dismiss out of hand the truth of any other statement from the same source. They might even have an emotional reaction to being treated as idiots. This can cause problems for Noble Liars.
When this happens, Noble Liars generally use one of two countermeasures. One is simply to make explicit the assumption of idiocy. If one has experienced a condom breakage then it is stated that one, ipso facto, must be too stupid to read the directions in a box of condoms. Alternately, one may be invited to join and promote the conspiracy for the common good, with a nudge and a wink.
Noble Lies can often be detected by the language used. The words "policy" and "position" are often good indicators. Furthermore, it is sometimes against the law not to tell a Noble Lie. In such cases, there may be a statement similar to "The Federal government requires us to state that..."
[edit] Exceptions to the Rule
Some ideas, such as fables and mythological stories, are designed so that their truth value is unimportant. Aesop's fable of the Fox and the Grapes is not lessened by the fact that foxes do not normally eat grapes and cannot talk. Nor would it be improved, and in fact would it be ruined, if one were to point out that "fox" is in many languages part of the word for "fruitbat."
