The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy: Plato - A Sceptical View on ‘Poetry’ (original) (raw)
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Plato, Aristotle the Dialectics of Poetry
International Journal on Integrated Education
The present paper attempts at estimating the legacy of two of the seminal philosophical minds, Plato and Aristotle. Their ideas have been so instrumental in shaping western critical literary tradition that any discussion on literary theory and criticism has to have them as a point of reference. Plato’s negative conception of mimesis is juxtaposed with Aristotle’s affirmative stand. The paper also examines the various philosophical and pragmatic charges labelled against poetry by Plato in his works such as Republic, Phaedrus and Ion. The paper concludes with a general overview of critical responses to Plato by succeeding men of letters.
Poetry and Philosophy: Towards a Comparative Analysis
Language in India, 2017
Within the extant domain of humanities, both poetry and philosophy are accorded almost an equal amount of veneration. Since Socrates in Plato’s Republic expelled the imitative tragic poets from his ideal state laying grounds for reformed ethical poetry, there have been numerous debates in this regard. Poetry and philosophy have remained at loggerheads since then. However, there are various approaches to read the binary of poetry and philosophy. A comparative analysis of any two ideas must aspire to estimate the recognisable differences as well as similarities between the two of them. Are poetry and philosophy similar to each other? Is there a dichotomy between the two? This essay attempts to contrast and compare the two fields critically.
Praxis filosófica, 2016
Plato offers two criticisms of imitative poetry in the Republic. In the first one, developed in books II and III, Plato seems to criticize poetry softly, banning only one part of imitative poetry. The second criticism, developed in book x, seems to establish a more drastic critique to imitative poetry that precludes the possibility of any kind of imitative poetry in the polis. Many different interpretations have been proposed in order to account for this apparent clash. I will defend Tate's classical interpretation, according to which no clash exists because Plato distinguishes two kinds of imitations, and he remains consistent in preserving one and banishing the other.
The Quarrel between Poetry and Philosophy. Introduction
2015
The article introduces to the volume on the quarrel between poetry and philosophy, by focusing on Leo Strauss's interpretation of this issue in Plato, who is widely recognized as the originator of the quarrel. Furthermore, the article describes how the quarrel is developed in the philosophical and poetic perspectives of some key thinkers such as Leopardi, Benjamin and Proust
The Agon between Philosophy and Poetry
Athletics, Gymnastics, and Agon in Plato, 2020
In Republic 607b, in the context of justifying the exclusion of a certain kind of poetry from the city, Socrates refers to an old quarrel between philosophy and poetry. In this agonistic dispute, which involved harsh words from both parties, Plato himself played a major role and the extensive restrictions Socrates imposes on poetry in the Republic would denounce his view that philosophy, and not poetry, should have the final word when it comes to molding Greek education. When one analyses Socrates’ arguments against traditional poetry, one serious accusation he seems to be open to is that of selectively choosing his quotations from the poets and intentionally distorting their meaning, sometimes by presenting them out of context and supposing that a regular reader/hearer would also do the same. However, in the Republic, before Socrates imposes his restrictions on poetry, Plato introduces Glaucon’s and Adeimantus’ initial speeches, which play a key role in understanding why Socrates distorts the poets. A thorough reading of the brother’s speeches intended to present the “majority’s” views on justice will reveal that they also distort and interpret the poets in a way that fits their own purposes. This seems to be Plato’s strategy to make the reader understand that a distorted reading and appropriation of the contents of poetry is not a far cry from what can actually happen if poetry is not purified of its ambiguities, precisely the sort of ambiguities some of Socrates’ restrictions aim to prevent.
Ion: Plato's defense of poetry
International Studies in Philosophy, 1997
To think that Ion is a light-hearted piece with no philosophical weight, or Plato the enemy of poetry is to hold to one of the most mistaken ideas in the history of ideas. In the interest of both historical accuracy and philosophic truth the use of the word 'Plato' as such a marker must be stopped. That is, we would here be friends to both Plato and the truth, to poetry and philosophy. And while we think that poetry is as defensible as philosophy, and that Plato thought so as well and throughout his life, I will here examine only that first small dialogue, Ion, reading it as a poem should be read, for what it does not say, but engenders, as much as for what it does say, or in other words noting what it does as much as what it says. If this reading succeeds it will a) explain several historical anomalies and factual inconsistencies of the dialogue, and it will show b) that the dilemma (techne/mania) of the dialogue is false, c) that the dilemma is intimately related to a view of language as names for a world which is everything that is the case, d) that the flaw which the dialogue exhibits in the rhapsode, Ion, is at least as much a moral flaw as an intellectual one, e) that those moral and intellectual flaws are not transferable simpliciter to the poem or poet of the rhapsode's performance, or even necessarily to a rhapsode and f) that these same moral and intellectual flaws can be found in philosophers. THIS IS THE TYPESCRIPT; FOR SCHOLARLY NOTATION PLEASE USE THE JOURNAL
Prizren Social Science Journal, 2019
Poetry Idea the beauty ideal philosophy time creation culture imitation dialogue literature A b s t r a c t In his most important and most voluminous creation "The State" (Republic, Politeia), Plato included the most characteristically philosophical concepts which were an expression of his interests. Apart various fields of teaching, such metaphysics, theology, ethics, psychology, pedagogy, State system, which result from this creation, art and poetry could not go without being included as well (including the music). Otherwise, the Plato himself, in young age, except with mathematics he also dealt with poetry by believing that he is going to be more dedicated to it. But, it seems that acquaintance with the Socrates since he was 20 years old changed his mind and he was fully committed to the philosophy. His general philosophical reviews sublimating his philosophical ideas, which arise on the basis of the idea, as an alpha and omega of every human been in the world, took Plato away from poetry by making him more and more torrential in philosophy and more and more critical, even more cynical towards the poetry.