1 / 7

Exploring Plato's Concept of Justice and the Role of Art in His Philosophy

This writing delves into key concepts from Plato's "Republic," particularly his quest for the essence of justice, mimesis (imitation), and the nature of virtue (arete). It discusses how Plato views the impact of art on society, arguing that imitating inappropriate characters can corrupt virtue and justice. It also highlights his metaphysical framework, introducing the idea of "forms" as the ultimate reality behind physical objects. With insights into censorship and the role of poets, this exploration invites readers to reflect on the philosophical implications of art's influence on truth and education.

sondra
Download Presentation

Exploring Plato's Concept of Justice and the Role of Art in His Philosophy

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. PLATO: Basic Concepts I Plato’s Republic is a search for the “form” of JUSTICE • mimesis: “imitation” [subject of both Book III & Book X. ] • What does he think mimesis is? Do you agree? • He believes that there is a problem with imitating the “wrong kind” of character -- this has a bad effect on us. • This belief is tied to his notions of “virtue” and “justice”

  2. PLATO: Basic Concepts II • arete: "virtue" -- mostly Book III • Greek notion of "virtue" implies being good AT something • Plato's society is "just" only when all parts of society do that which they are "good at“ • dike: justice - the Greek word implies the notion of path or way

  3. PLATO: Basic Concepts III • form: Book X • How do you know this is a chair? • A book? • A good thing? • Plato believed that everything in the physical world was a copy of an abstract, timeless pattern for things of that sort. • This pattern or ideal was what he called a "form"

  4. The 4 levels of Plato's World View [metaphysics & epistemology] What we “know” How we “know” What kind of “knowing” FORMS [abstraction] KNOWLEDGE HYPOTHESES [math objects] UNDERSTANDING VISIBLE THINGS [physical objects] BELIEF or OPINION IMAGES [image/reflections] PERCEPTION or IMAGINING

  5. To think about … • Where does Plato place art? • Why is art “three times removed from the throne of truth”? • Why is Plato so determined to censor art? [Book III] • Why does he ban poets from the Republic? [Book X] • sophists - can't know truth, so just learn to persuade people [the art of rhetoric] • poets - were claiming knowledge. Plato asks Homer what state he has ruled etc…

  6. Plato Reading Questions: Selection from BOOK III • discussion of what is appropriate for the education of children. • What argument does he give for censorship? • How does he think art affects us? Do you agree? Selection from BOOK X • relationship of art and truth. • Why does Plato think art is far from "truth"? • What is he assuming about the nature of art? • Do you agree?

  7. Reminders for Plato & Aristotle: Both are concerned with the effect that art has on us. • Each makes recommendations about the form art should take in order to fulfill its proper function. • They differ more on the function than the form.

More Related