Here's a nice synopsis of Plato's "Noble Lie":
"In "The Republic," Plato described a city whose inhabitant were organized into categories: The Rulers, Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. The Rulers, he said, would be chosen from the military elite (called Guardians) because they were good at shepherding and caring for the interest of the community. The Auxiliaries would be Guardians in training.
The Rulers, Plato said, must tell the people of the city "The NobleLie"-- that the categories of Rules, Auxiliaries, Farmers, etc. was not due to circumstances within the people's control, upbringing, or education, but because of God's intervention. God, the Lie went, had put gold, silver, and iron into each person’s soul, and those metals determined where a person's station was in life was.
The Rulers told the people of the city that if their own children were found with bronze or iron in their soul, the child would drop down the ranks accordingly. And if a farmer’s child was born with gold in his soul, he would rise up to the Guardian level. The Rulers also said, people had different metals in their bloodstream, and therefore could not inter-marry.
The Lie is necessary, Plato argues, in order to keep a stable social structure. In Plato’s mind, The Noble Lie is a religious lie that’s fed to the masses to keep them under control and happy with their situation in life.
Plato did not believe most people were smart enough to look after their own and society’s best interest. The few smart people of the world needed to lead the rest of the flock, Plato said. And The NobleLie had to continue."
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