Motif
authorized falsehood for civic good
authorized_falsehood_for_civic_good
A motif of the Sacred Law and Social Order family, within the sub-family Civic Order and the Body Politic. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
greek
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The Republic PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE. / BOOK I. / BOOK II. / BOOK III.; lines 11969-12129 confidence: high
Truth is valued; lies are compared to medicine. Rulers may lie for the public good, but private persons who lie to rulers may be punished for harming ship or State.
The passage states that rulers may lie to enemies or citizens for the public good, while everyone else is forbidden to do so.
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