Plato's Critique on Art

In Book X of The Republic, Socrates explains his concern with art. He believes art is dangerous and affects the inferior part of your soul. He believes this because he thinks these artists pretend to know things when they in fact do not. They have no real knowledge of what they are writing or painting about. In his opinion, artwork cannot be truly known because it is too far from the truth. I agree with Socrates in his view of art. Art can be deceiving and impacts the inferior part of one's soul.

Socrates gives an example of a carpenter, painter and god. He says god is the natural author because he made the idea of a table. The carpenter can be called the maker of the bed because of his physical construction of the table but the painter is called an imitator because he does not make a real bed but instead makes a painting of just the appearance. ”Then the imitator, I said, is a long way off the truth, and can do all things because he lightly touches on a small part of them, and that part an image,” (pg.461). Here Socrates explains how far away the artist is from the truth.  He calls art “thrice removed from the truth,” which means art is three times away from the source of the creation. From God, carpenter to painter, the painter would be removed three times from the truth.

Discussing Homer and his poetry, Socrates explains how Homer is an imitator of the images of virtue and how poets never really reach the truth. He states that these artists have no knowledge about true existence and they know appearances only. This makes sense because god is the true creator and by simply painting a picture, you know the appearance and not the true existence. “Then if he does not make that which exists he cannot make true existence, but only some semblance of existence” (pg.459).

Socrates then mentions three things that are concerned with all things: users, makers, and something that imitates them. Socrates believes that the users have the most experience which makes them fit to make decisions on good or bad of something. He gives the example of a flute and how the flute player will tell the flute maker which of his flutes are best to use and how he should make them (464). “The one knows and therefore speaks with authority about the goodness and badness of flutes, while the other, confiding in him, will do what he is told him,” (pg. 465).  The maker of the flute will get correct belief by talking to users of the flute. The maker will know what is wrong and what needs to improve and they will work on it to make it better. Artists of paintings cannot know from use if their paintings are correct or beautiful. “The painter has knowledge or true opinion about the goodness or badness of his limitations.” Here he means that there is not really a way to classify a painting as a good because you cannot experience it like something like a flute. His main point here is that these imitators have no real knowledge of the subject, whether it's poetry or paintings.

        Another big issue Socrates covers in explaining his opposition with poetry and art is how it affects the soul. He first starts out by describing illusions like an object looking big up close and small from far and how something could look straight but crooked in the water. This is deceiving to us and is a weakness in our minds. To help our understanding we use calculations and reasoning. This is the work of the calculating and rational principle of the soul. Socrates explains how one part of the soul cannot have contrary beliefs at the same time about one thing. This shows that another part of the soul has a contrary opinion and the other part of the soul has an opinion in accordance of the situation which uses reasoning and calculating. The better part would be the part which trusts to measure and calculate which makes the other part of the soul inferior. This lets Socrates conclude that these imitations of art particularly, painting, are far removed from the truth and reason, “This was the conclusion at which I was seeking to arrive when I said that painting or drawing, and imitation in general, when doing their own proper work, are far removed from truth, and the companions and friends and associates of a principle within us which is equally removed from reason, and that they have no true or healthy aim.” This is Socrates main thinking of the issue. He believes that art has nothing healthy to offer and can be deceiving. The part of the soul it affects is the inferior part which is a problem because that part does not use reasoning and calculations.

        He gives the example of sorrow and two ways in dealing with it. There is a principle of law and reason which tells him to resist his sorrow. There is also the feeling of indulging in his sorrow. This shows that the man has two distinct principles in him because he is drawn in two opposite directions. By dealing with the law of principle, it would mean that the man be patient under his sufferings. “The law would say that to be patient under suffering is best, and that we should not give way to impatience” (pg.468). The other way to deal with the sorrow is to help ourselves and come out of being sorrow and moving forward from it, “like children who have had a fall, keeping hold of the part struck and wasting time in setting up a howl, but always accustoming the soul forthwith to apply a remedy, raising up that which is sickly and fallen, banishing the cry of sorrow by the healing art” (pg. 468). For Socrates, the higher principle would be to come out of sorrow and not waste time staying in sorrow. This is opposition to the principle of law that states that being patient through the suffering would be best. Socrates explains how the rebellious way in dealing with sorrow, which involves being patient and not falling to impatience and grieving, is easier to imitate than the situation of the higher principle. The poet imitates this because he aims to be popular and he prefers the passionate temper of fighting the sorrow and grieving because that is more easily imitated than someone calm and seeking counsel to move past the sorrow. The poet that is trying to gain popularity is not made by nature and does not intend his art to affect the rational principle because the rational principle is being calm and moving forward from the sorrow. “He is also like him in being concerned with an inferior part of the soul; and therefore we shall be right in refusing to admit him into a well-ordered State, because he awakens and nourishes and strengthens the feelings and impairs the reason.” (pg.469). Socrates then places him next to the printer and gives two reasons how the poet is like the artist. Both of their creation have an inferior degree of the truth. They are also alike in the way of being concerned with an inferior part of the soul.