| You do not even understand the meaning of the Noble Lie as it is used in the Republic. It has to do with the promulgation of a myth of origins to encourage social solidarity within the Republic. In other words, it is not a discussion of lying for "raison d'etre", which is a separate discussion, but of whether religious myth has utility that should be encouraged even if one does not believe in the myths. As for lying for reasons of state, neocons have pretty much the same moral calculations as most people on that score: sometimes it is justified, for example, deceiving the enemy in time of war, and sometimes not, as when engaged in democratic policy discussion. Finally, there is the Straussian belief that some philosophers hid some of their beliefs in order to avoid persecution, and pretended to a degree of conformity to popular opinion beyond fact. Yes, Strauss endorses this, but under conditions were persecution is a real fear. As for Machiavelli, Strauss thought that he was mostly a corrupting influence........ |
