FAQs
Plato banished the poet from his ideal state because they strayed away from reality. Plato preferred reality in poetry, but it was not truly presented by the poets. Poets use imagination and ornamented language to represent beyond the reality. The poetic works are three steps away from reality.
Why did Plato want the artist to be kept away from the ideal state? ›
Final answer: Plato desired to keep artists away from his ideal state that he believed should be ruled by philosophers. He held that art distracts from philosophical pursuits, the artists can promote dissent, challenge societal norms and did not view art as a path to truth.
Where does Plato banish poets? ›
Plato is famous for having banished poetry and poets from the ideal city of the Republic.
Why does Plato not like poets? ›
As a moralist, Plato disapproves of poetry because it is immoral, as a philosopher he disapproves of it because it is based in falsehood. He is of the view that philosophy is better than poetry because philosopher deals with idea / truth, whereas poet deals with what appears to him / illusion.
What does Plato say about the ideal state? ›
The ideal state, according to Plato, is designed to ensure justice, harmony, and the well-being of its citizens. In this article, we will delve into the key features and principles that define Plato's ideal state and explore its relevance in contemporary society.
Why did Plato banish the poets from his ideal state? ›
Plato banished the poet from his ideal state because they strayed away from reality. Plato preferred reality in poetry, but it was not truly presented by the poets. Poets use imagination and ornamented language to represent beyond the reality. The poetic works are three steps away from reality.
Who has banished poetry from the Ideal Commonwealth? ›
Lastly, it is pointed out by the enemies of poetry that Plato, one of the greatest of philosophers, banished poets from his ideal commonwealth.
Why did Plato want no poets in his republic? ›
He deduces that they are imitators of the world, and therefore far from the truth: “the tragic poet is an imitator, and therefore, like all other imitators, he is thrice removed from the king and from the truth.” The other dangers of poets are that they corrupt youth and incite the passions instead of the faculties of ...
What are the allegations of Plato against poetry? ›
Plato's three main objections to poetry are that poetry is not ethical, philosophical and pragmatic, in other words, he objected to poetry from the point of view of Education, from Philosophical point of view and from Moral point of view.
What was Plato's hostility towards poets and dramatist? ›
He did not encourage hostility towards the artists or their performances. For Plato, theater was philosophically undesirable, it was simply a lie. It was bad for society because it engaged the sympathies of the audience and so might make people less thoughtful.
In conclusion, Plato's ideal state is constructed from the deeper non-realistic perspective while Aristotle comes to his conclusions regarding politics and states through observation of existing states and forms of government.
What is the main idea that Plato states? ›
The main idea of Plato's Republic is the exploration of justice and its application in both the individual and the city-state. Plato argues that justice involves the control of appetitive desires, particularly the desire for money, which is insatiable and connected to all other appetites.
What is the ideal state of Plato's population? ›
Why does a Plato's ideal state consist of 5040 people? - Quora. I don't remember the official reason, but 5040 is evenly divisible into groups of size 1–10, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 24. With a lot of common denominators, it's easier to evenly divide the population.
Why did Plato not like artists? ›
His problem with the arts was that they operated by images rather than by ideas, and thus that they might cloud the truth rather than clarifying it. Perhaps a bit of "sympathy for the devil" is possible here. The most famous summary of Plato's philosophy is the allegory of the Cave, found in Book VII of his Republic.
Why was Plato an enemy of art? ›
The easiest thing is to imagine Plato as an enemy of art because he viewed art products of all kinds, whether poetry, theatre or painting as inferior copies ofthe ultimate reality.
What are the limitations of Plato's concept of the ideal state? ›
In conclusion, while Plato's concept of the ideal state introduces thought-provoking ideas about governance, justice, and virtue, its limitations, including authoritarianism, impracticality, and neglect of diversity, have led to ongoing debates about the feasibility and desirability of such a societal model.
What is the purpose of art according to Plato? ›
In his theory of Mimesis, Plato says that all art is a replica by nature; art is an imitation of life. He believed that 'idea' is the ultimate reality. Art imitates ideas and so it is an imitation of reality.