Scribd
Upload
1K views2 pages

Aristotle's Reply To Plato's Objection

Aristotle defended poetry against three charges made by Plato. [1] Plato claimed art is less than reality, but Aristotle argued art provides something more through idealization and perception. [2] Plato said art does not teach morality, but Aristotle said art's purpose is aesthetic experience, not ethics. [3] Plato judged art from different standards, but Aristotle said each subject must be judged by its own aims and criteria rather than those of another field like philosophy.

Uploaded by

Noor Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
1K views2 pages

Aristotle's Reply To Plato's Objection

Aristotle defended poetry against three charges made by Plato. [1] Plato claimed art is less than reality, but Aristotle argued art provides something more through idealization and perception. [2] Plato said art does not teach morality, but Aristotle said art's purpose is aesthetic experience, not ethics. [3] Plato judged art from different standards, but Aristotle said each subject must be judged by its own aims and criteria rather than those of another field like philosophy.

Uploaded by

Noor Khan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Aristotle replied to the charges made by his Guru Plato against poetry

in particular and art in general. He replied to them one by one in his


defence of poetry.

1. Plato says that art being the imitation of the actual is removed
from the Truth. It only gives the likeness of a thing in concrete,
and the likeness is always less than real. But Plato fails to explain
that art also gives something more which is absent in the actual.
The artist does not simply reflect the real in the manner of a
mirror. Art cannot be slavish imitation of reality. Literature is not
the exact reproduction of life in all its totality. It is the
representation of selected events and characters necessary in a
coherent action for the realization of the artist’s purpose. He
even exalts, idealizes and imaginatively recreates a world which
has its own meaning and beauty. These elements, present in art,
are absent in the raw and rough real. While a poet creates
something less than reality he at the same times creates
something more as well. He puts an idea of the reality which he
perceives in an object. This ‘more’, this intuition and perception,
is the aim of the artist. Artistic creation cannot be fairly criticized
on the ground that it is not the creation in concrete terms of
things and beings. Thus considered, it does not take us away
from the Truth but leads us to the essential reality of life.
2. Plato again says that art is bad because it does not inspire virtue,
does not teach morality. But is teaching the function of art? Is it
the aim of the artist? The function of art is to provide aesthetic
delight, communicate experience, express emotions and
represent life. It should never be confused with the function of
ethics which is simply to teach morality. If an artist succeeds in
pleasing us in the aesthetic sense, he is a good artist. If he fails
in doing so, he is a bad artist. There is no other criterion to judge
his worth. R.A.Scott -James observes: “Morality teaches. Art
does not attempt to teach. It merely asserts it is thus or thus
that life is perceived to be. That is my bit of reality, says the
artist. Take it or leave it – draw any lessons you like from it –
that is my account of things as they are – if it has any value to
you as evidence of teaching, use it, but that is not my business: I
have given you my rendering, my account, my vision, my dream,
my illusion – call it what you will. If there is any lesson in it, it is
yours to draw, not mine to preach.” Similarly, Plato’s charges on
needless lamentations and ecstasies at the imaginary events of
sorrow and happiness encourage the weaker part of the soul and
numb the faculty of reason. These charges are defended by
Aristotle in his Theory of ​Catharsis​. David Daiches summarizes
Aristotle’s views in reply to Plato’s charges in brief: “Tragedy
(Art) gives new knowledge, yields aesthetic satisfaction and
produces a better state of mind.”
3. Plato judges poetry now from the educational standpoint, now
from the philosophical one and then from the ethical one. But he
does not care to consider it from its own unique standpoint. He
does not define its aims. He forgets that everything should be
judged in terms of its own aims and objectives, its own criteria of
merit and demerit. We cannot fairly maintain that music is bad
because it does not paint, or that painting is bad because it does
not sing. Similarly, we cannot say that poetry is bad because it
does not teach philosophy or ethics. If poetry, philosophy and
ethics had identical function, how could they be different
subjects? To denounce poetry because it is not philosophy or
ideal is clearly absurd.

You might also like