Plato Aristotle Comparison - 1798 Words

Imitative Art A Comparison of the Philosophies of Plato Aristotle And the Ultimate Beneficial Nature of the Tragic Drama By: Stephanie Cimino In the various discussions of imitative art there has been a notable disagreement between two distinguished philosophers; Plato and Aristotle. Although it was Plato who first discussed the concept of imitative art, it is my belief that Aristotle was justified in his praise and admiration of imitative art, specifically, the tragic drama. In my discussion on the two philosophers’ dissertations I will begin with the ideas of Plato and his position and requirements for imitative art and its respected uses, after which I will discuss the ideas of Aristotle to show that the tragic†¦show more content†¦This portrayal of emotions, of the inferior part of the soul, in Plato’s beliefs, â€Å"awakens and nourishes and strengthens the feelings and impairs the reason.† (41) Plato considers this indulgence irrational and useles s. The superior and rational person (the ideal statesman) would pride himself on the opposite qualities and in times of sorrow or passion would suppress urges to openly sorrow or indulge in pleasures. Summing up Plato’s philosophy, the imitative artist is a long way from the truth and can write or paint any and all things because he does not know about the subjects he creates; he denies the rational principle of the soul and overly indulges in emotion resulting in the neglect of justice and virtue, (45) and has not found a proper purpose in the ideal state. Aristotle follows Plato on several points; he agrees art is a kind of techne, that there is a measure appropriate to the creation of techne, and that the most important human arts are â€Å"imitative of human souls, bodies, and actions.† (79) This, however, is where their likeness ends. While Plato condemns the tragic drama and finds it detrimental to his ideal society, Aristotle believes that it can be an instrumen t of learning and an outlet for the emotions felt by all men. Aristotle finds the tragic dramas true purpose or nature as â€Å"the natural later development of a human religious activity.† (80) In the Poetics, Aristotle defends the tragic drama completely and proves that it is useful. HeShow MoreRelatedComparison Between Aristotle and Plato on Mimesis4881 Words   |  20 PagesiA comparison between Aristotle and Plato on mimesis 1. Introduction Mimesis, as a controversial concept starting from the 15th century, is among the oldest terms in literature and artistic theory, and is certainly among the most fundamental. Developing centuries, the concept of mimesis has been explored and reinterpreted by scholars in various academic fields. The word â€Å"Mimesis† developed from the root mimos, noun designating both a person who imitates and a specific genre of performance basedRead MorePlato and Aristotle: a Comparison Essay1641 Words   |  7 PagesComparing the political theories of any two great philosophers is a complex task. Plato and Aristotle are two such philosophers who had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. While both Plato and Aristotle were great thinkers, perhaps it is necessary first to examine the ideas of each before showing how one has laid the groundwork and developed certain themes for the other. Plato is regarded by many experts as the first writer of political philosophy. He fashionedRead MoreComparison of Plato, Aquinas, Aristotle and Augustine1464 Words   |  6 PagesPlato Truth and Reality- And isnt it a bad thing to be deceived about the truth, and a good thing to know what the truth is? 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(Plato, 380BC) Reason Reason is knowledge of things like mathematics but which require that some postulatesRead MoreDistinctions and Comparisons between Aristotle and Plato Essay1681 Words   |  7 Pagesideas introduced by Plato on the theory of forms, where deducted and critiqued by Aristotle. Both philosophers can be viewed as having opposing ideologies. Nonetheless, Plato and Aristotle are in agreement on certain factors of their philosophy. Many have scrutinized and compared the dissimilarities and similarities of Aristotles doctrine of categories and Platos theory of forms. The observations found are of an interesting nature. The beauty behind the writings of Plato is to not accept whatRead MoreAristotle: The Pursuit of Happiness1358 Words   |  6 PagesAristotle and Plato both are both well known for their focus on defining the purpose of being human. To them, humans have a particular characteristic that no other living thing possesses. 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Although both Plato and Aristotle are great thinkers, their philosophical views of the role of women as potential rulers differ very much from one another. In fact, many of Aristotle’s writings about the role of women contradict the beliefs of his professor, Plato. This paper will provide an in-depth comparison of the potential for women to be rulers in Aristotle’sRead MoreEssay on Comparing and Contrasting Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle708 Words   |  3 Pagesmeditate about life, and would sit or talk and write books about life. These have always been one of Greeks reasons of why it is so famous. Because of their marvelous philosophers. The most important philosophers from that time and always are: Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. Socrates: Socrates was a very important philosopher. He usually questioned a lot about traditions, religion and government. One of his ideas, now used at school, is the Socratic Method. This is that a person asks questions