Plato Banning Poetry Essay - 790 Words

Plato Banning Poetry Plato in The Republic creates a debate by denouncing poetry. Plato has this vision of an ideal city that is genuinely just, Plato banishes poets from the city because they are imitative and under no circumstances do they portray justice. Consequently, poetry was not to be admitted into his ideal city. However if one could argue this debate with superb reasons as to why they should be de-banned from the city, Plato would be willing to allow them back. Plato has three reasons as to why he deems poets as dangerous and unqualified for his city. The first reason for their refusal is that poets claim to have all this knowledge. This raises the question, do poets really know what they are talking about or are they†¦show more content†¦The second reason for their refusal is that they can imitate the worst part of our souls. Thus, â€Å"The imitator knows hardly anything about the things he imitates; imitation is a kind of game and not to be taken seriously†¦ it follows that i mitation must be concerned with things at the third remove from truth.† (Plato 292) Plato talks about how the masses of any magnitude appear to be unalike when viewed from a far and then viewed from a near and questions which part of a man would respond to imitation’s power. Thus, imitation posses a power by the illustrations they are able to create. Hence, â€Å"Like the painter, his works are distant from reality. Poet and painter also resemble one another in their appeal to be inferior part of the soul and their neglect to the best part.† (Plato 296) The rational side of the soul posses those qualities of is silence, stability, hard to imitate, and hard to understand. Poetry excites, nourishes, and strengthens the inferior part of the soul. The only defense mechanism one has from these powers is a man’s ability to weigh, to measure, and to number. The best part of the soul is that which relies on calculation and measurement. Plato then expresses his c oncern that the contrary there are parts that are among those of the lesser elements of the soul, â€Å"This is the point I was getting at when I said that theShow MoreRelatedPlato s Views On Art And Representation1322 Words   |  6 Pagesand against this topic. Plato, one of the pioneer of Western philosophy, is one of the foremost scholar to denounce art and representation, whereas Aristotle, and most of the modern scholars like Derrida directly criticize Plato’s opinion and applaud art and representation. Some scholars like Joyce, however, are not so vocal about their support, but instead prefer to show their approval by means of their art, like Joyce does in Portrait of the Young Man as an Artist. Plato, in his Republic, arguedRead MoreAnalysis Of Plato s The Mind And Souls 1754 Words   |  8 PagesIt was a simple concept that was built and moulded. That never existed in reality or theory until chosen and perceives it to exist. Socrates, the fictional identity that, Plato creates for himself, leads us on to a journey of the mind and souls through discussion with his fellow philosophers: Thrasymachus, Polermarchus, Glaucon and Adeimantus that eagerly approve to this development. In Book I, so what is justice? This abstract idea provokes Polermarchus to suggest that justice that justice is both