The religious and ethical-political utility of the lie in the Platonic poetic paradigm of the Republic

Abstract

The týpos of alternative poetry that Plato starts to delineate in the last part of Republic II can be reduced to two general norms (nómoi) that aim to regulate the treatment of religious aspects in poetic narrations and at the same time establish the bases of a non-anthropomorphic theology that instills a pious, brave and moderate character in future guardians. Of these norms, in this paper I examine the norm regarding the impossibility of lies from the divine (theîon) and especially the dark distinction that Plato introduces there between true and verbal lies (alethés pseûdos/en toîs lógois pseûdos). Although in principle Plato limits the use of verbal lies to the founders of the pólis (who at the same time must inculcate future guardians), I sustain here that its use can be extended to the field of poetic creation, and especially to the type of poet proposed as a paradigm in Republic III (the imitator guardian).