Name : Iqra Shoukat

Group no 8

Roll no : 87

Plato’s Objection to poetry

Plato was the disciple of Socrates, a great poet, a mystic and a philosopher. He was not a professed critic
but his objections are found in forms of speech and dialogues in The Ion, the Symposium & the Republic
and the Laws. Plato’s three main objections to poetry are that poetry is not ethical, philosophical and
pragmatic.

(i) His Objection From Educational Point of View :-

In ‘The Republic’ Plato condemns poetry (art) as cultivating evil habits and vices in children. As he
thought that the description in the poetry is “Twice removed from Reality” and it is not dealing with real,
practical world. So, he does not want his ‘future guardians’ to learn all such things that are mere
Imitation of imitation.

(ii) Feedback to Educational Point of View :-

Plato objected poetry on the basis of education, by saying that it cultivates evil habits and not practical.
But it is not so about all the poems or all the arts. As at that time Homer’s epics were the part of studies
and in them heroes were lusty, cunning and cruel dealing only with war and other things. Even the
portrayal of Gods & Goddesses was imperfect as they were also depicted quarreling and fighting. So
Plato objected arts (poetry). But he did not understand that poetry also has literal, allegorical or
connoted meaning.

(iii) Plato’s Disagreement on Philosophical Point of View :-

Plato states that, “Philosophy deals with idea and poetry are twice removed from the original idea. So,
Philosophy is better than poetry”. As it nurtures the rational impulses of human being and not the
emotional, this is better than later one. He even says that, “The imitator or maker of the image knows
nothing of true existence; he knows appearance only… The imitative art is an inferior who marries an
inferior and has inferior offspring.” In his Theory of Mimesis.

(iv) Response to Philosophical Point of View :-

Plato stated that poetry is away from reality and it is imitation only, but this imitation is not a slavish
copy like a photocopy work, but a creative one. In response to Plato, R.A.Scott quotes that, “But though
the poet creates something less than reality, he also creates something more.” This ‘more’ is intuition
and perception which is essential to lead towards reality.

(v) Plato’s claim of poetry against Morality :-

In “The Republic” Plato said that, soul of man has higher rational and lower emotional impulses. Poetry
waters and nourishes the lower impulses instead of drying them up. He calls it as “needless lamentation
and ecstasies at the imaginary events of sorrow and happiness”. Plato being a moralist even objected
male dominance and female exploitation.

(vi) Reaction to Moral Point of View :-

AS a moralist Plato says that poetry does not teach morality, but teaching is not the function of art or
poetry. It is to deal with aesthetic pleasure only. Even by description of male dominance or female
exploitation the poet has a good intention of provoking people against it and not to promote it.
So, Plato opposed art in general and poetry in particular, but his most famous disciple, critic, scholar
logician and practical philosopher- Aristotle and other critics and poets like R.A. Scott, David Daiches, etc.
defended them on various other angles.