noble lie, n.Definitions

The Noble lie (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the heroic origin story offered to cover the founding crime on which all state power rests.

The Noble lie (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a necessary lie: Plato founded his state on one — men born with gold, silver or bronze in their bodies, castes that cannot mix; the German founds his education on a similar aeterna veritas, which would crumble before a necessary truth.

The Noble lie (n.) of ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠Life Is Beautiful falls apart in a thought experiment: imagine the son knew all along and pretended, to make life easier for his father.