RE: Source for:  “If myths are not put forward by philosophers, then they
will be put forward by other people, and then they will be worse myths.
Therefore they should be put forward by philosophers.”

The likely background seems to be Plato's _Republic_ II, XVII, 377B, see,
eg,
Shorey, P. Plato: _The Republic I_, Books I -- V -- with an English
Translation Harvard University Press and William Heinemann, 1937, p.177:

Socrates:
"Do you not know, then, that the beginning in every task is the chief
thing, especially for any creature that is young and tender? For it is then
that it is best moulded and takes the impression  that one wishes to stamp
upon it."

"Quite so."

Socrates: "Shall we, then, thus lightly suffer our children to listen to
any chance stories fashioned by any chance teachers and so to take into
their minds opinions for the most
part contrary to those that we shall think it desirable for them to hold
when they are grown up ?"

"By no manner of means will we allow it."

Socrates:
"We must begin, then, it seems, by a censorship over our storymakers, and
what they do well we must pass and what not, reject. And the stories on the
accepted list we will induce nurses and mothers to tell to the children and
so shape their souls by these stories far
rather than their bodies by their hands. But most of the stories they now
tell we must reject."
etc. in great detail a discussion of the traditional myths told in ancient
Greek literature.
Best regards
Michael Ambrosi

Am Di., 16. März 2021 um 20:05 Uhr schrieb David Mitch <[log in to unmask]>:

> Dear Bruce: I don't have an exact citation, but the quote you cite seems
> to have strong overtones of
> the "Noble Lie" in Book III of Plato's Republic----an intentional untruth
> propounded by elites to maintain
> social harmony.  Karl Popper seems to have taken on Plato's Noble Lie
> concept in the Open Society
> and its Enemies. So it would not seem surprising if Tingsten would express
> objections to the concept
> at the opening Mont Pelerin Society meeting.  This might be one avenue to
> explore further in researching
> your quote.
> Best
> David
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 1:52 PM Bruce Caldwell <[log in to unmask]>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear SHOE list:
>>
>>
>>
>> I have another quote I am trying to track down. Herbert Tingsten, a
>> Swedish political scientist who had recently become the editor-in-chief of
>> the Swedish newspaper *Dagens Nyheter, *attended the 1947 Mont Pelerin
>> Society meeting and at one point in a discussion said,
>>
>>
>>
>> It has been said that “If myths are not put forward by philosophers, then
>> they will be put forward by other people, and then they will be worse
>> myths. Therefore they should be put forward by philosophers.” But * I*
>> don’t think this is true.
>>
>>
>>
>> Does anyone have any idea what he might be quoting from or referring to?
>> It was an ad lib quotation from memory, so it is probably not exact. It may
>> be from a Swedish source.  Or it may have been said to him by a friend, or
>> he may have just read it in the newspaper, or something like that. Who
>> knows, he may have just made it up!  Any help anyone might be able to give
>> will be much appreciated.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bruce Caldwell
>>
>
>
> --
> David Mitch
> Professor of Economics and Chair
> Affiliate Professor, Asian Studies
> University of Maryland, Baltimore County
> email: [log in to unmask]
>


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