Essay
HUM 2551 Plato's views on art/artists Essay
- Course
- HUM 2551
- Institution
- Florida Institute Of Technology
This is a comprehensive and detailed essay on on Plato's views on art/artists. *Essential for reference purposes!!
[Show more]
Content preview
1Poetry was central to the development of Greek culture. From an early age, Grecians
would practice reciting poetry in school and at home. The founding principles of Greek society
and the morals it came to champion were heavily influenced by the artists of the era, who moved
the hearts of the people with visionary poetry. Plato made this a matter of contention, for he
believed that art encouraged people to pursue empty appearances over thought, and represented
energy wasted creating pointless imitations of beauty that could have been spent inquiring as to
the nature of why things are beautiful. Plato desired a level of intellectual purity in his Republic,
and sought a city-state where the highest pursuit was philosophical, and he saw no place for
poets whose verses served only the purpose of entertainment.
Plato was highly critical of Greece’s high praise for art, for he believed that the artist
“was typically not the ideal moral character in any society, and thus should not have been in
charge of dictating moral grounds or developing cultural norms” (Grant 2011). In fact, artists
didn’t serve any role in his ideological community, a sentiment he makes apparent with a harsh
example in The Republic, with his hypothetical:
“... if a man, who through clever training can become anything and imitate anything,
should arrive in our city, wanting to give a performance of his poems, we should bow
down before him as someone holy, wonderful, and pleasing, but we should tell him that
there is no one like him in our city and that it isn't lawful for there to be” (The Republic
398a).
Plato continues on, describing how he would then ridicule and exile the artist.
Puzzling as it may seem, his disdain towards poets and artists is consistent with his
philosophy of Form. To Plato, everything that existed in material reality was inferior to the realm
of Form: perfect, unchanging ideals untouched by time and space, that can only be
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller anyiamgeorge19. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $9.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53249 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now