The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroa... — Plato

The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroad; they may be allowed to lie for the good of the state.

Author: Plato

Insight: We're uncomfortable admitting it, but we give powerful people a pass on dishonesty all the time—calling it "strategy" or "national security." Plato's logic exposes why this always backfires: once you let leaders lie for "the greater good," you've given them unlimited permission to define what that good is, usually in their favor.

Source: Republic, Book III

Insight

We're uncomfortable admitting it, but we give powerful people a pass on dishonesty all the time—calling it "strategy" or "national security." Plato's logic exposes why this always backfires: once you let leaders lie for "the greater good," you've given them unlimited permission to define what that good is, usually in their favor.

Plato

Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, born around 428 BC in Athens, Greece. He is known for founding the Academy in Athens, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the Western world. Plato's philosophical works, including "The Republic" and "The Symposium," continue to be highly influential in Western philosophy.

The rulers of the state are the only persons who ought to have the privilege of lying, either at home or abroa... — Plato

Insight

Comments

Plato

Graph

Related