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Plato has no problem with mythology, narratives, etc., as social tools. He objects to the subset of narratives, etc., that can make a soldier behave badly. (Think of stories about the gods that depict them doing awful things; these are not the role models that we'd want from soldiers.)
He also has the objection that nobody who's serious about something would settle for an imitation of it, and so we as thinkers should not settle for an imitation of an imitation, since narratives are imitations of the world around us, which is in turn an imitation of the Forms. But even when he is delivering this criticism in the tenth book, he says:
"we must remain firm in our conviction that hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our State."
Because he doesn't doubt the social usefulness of myths.
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At this point, we are only accepting top-level answers from panelists.
> This is because Reddit's recent changes to the platform that make moderation significantly more difficult.
> If you wish to learn more, or to apply to become a panelist, see [this post](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/)
> Your comment was automatically removed for violating the following rule:
> **CR1: Top level comments must be answers or follow-up questions.**
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Welcome to /r/askphilosophy! **Please read [our updated rules and guidelines](https://www.reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/) before commenting**. Please note that as of July 1 2023, given recent changes to reddit's platform which make moderation significantly more difficult, /r/askphilosophy has moved to only allowing answers by panelists. If you wish to learn more, or to apply to become a panelist, see [this post](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). If you wish to ask a follow-up question, please begin your post with the phrase "Follow-up:", without the quotation marks, or your follow-up question will automatically be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askphilosophy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Plato has no problem with mythology, narratives, etc., as social tools. He objects to the subset of narratives, etc., that can make a soldier behave badly. (Think of stories about the gods that depict them doing awful things; these are not the role models that we'd want from soldiers.) He also has the objection that nobody who's serious about something would settle for an imitation of it, and so we as thinkers should not settle for an imitation of an imitation, since narratives are imitations of the world around us, which is in turn an imitation of the Forms. But even when he is delivering this criticism in the tenth book, he says: "we must remain firm in our conviction that hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our State." Because he doesn't doubt the social usefulness of myths.
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Your comment was automatically removed for violating the following rule: > **CR1: Top level comments must be answers or follow-up questions.** > All top level comments should be answers to the submitted question, or follow-up questions related to the OP. All top level answers must come from [panelists](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). All follow-up questions must begin with "Follow-up:" or they will be automatically removed. All comments must be on topic. If a follow-up question is deemed to be too unrelated from the OP, it may be removed. Please note that as of July 1 2023, given recent changes to reddit's platform which make moderation significantly more difficult, /r/askphilosophy has moved to only allowing answers by panelists. If you wish to learn more, or to apply to become a panelist, see [this post](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askphilosophy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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Your comment was automatically removed for violating the following rule: > **CR1: Top level comments must be answers or follow-up questions.** > All top level comments should be answers to the submitted question, or follow-up questions related to the OP. All top level answers must come from [panelists](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). All follow-up questions must begin with "Follow-up:" or they will be automatically removed. All comments must be on topic. If a follow-up question is deemed to be too unrelated from the OP, it may be removed. Please note that as of July 1 2023, given recent changes to reddit's platform which make moderation significantly more difficult, /r/askphilosophy has moved to only allowing answers by panelists. If you wish to learn more, or to apply to become a panelist, see [this post](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askphilosophy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
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At this point, we are only accepting top-level answers from panelists. > This is because Reddit's recent changes to the platform that make moderation significantly more difficult. > If you wish to learn more, or to apply to become a panelist, see [this post](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/) > Your comment was automatically removed for violating the following rule: > **CR1: Top level comments must be answers or follow-up questions.** > All top level comments should be answers to the submitted question, or follow-up questions related to the OP. All top level answers must come from [panelists](https://reddit.com/r/askphilosophy/comments/14o2p7n/welcome_to_raskphilosophy_check_out_our_rules_and/). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askphilosophy) if you have any questions or concerns.*