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Because censorship is so repressive, there are few philosophers who stand out as proud advocates of the practice. There are, though, some exceptions which we turn to next. An early and important defender of censorship was the Greek philosopher Plato (428-348 BCE).
Does Plato believe in censorship?
Plato was particularly interested in education and the arts on public display. His argument was that these things must be rigidly controlled and censored, lest people get evil ideas and thus degrade the body politic.
What did Plato say about art?
In the Republic, Plato says that art imitates the objects and events of ordinary life. In other words, a work of art is a copy of a copy of a Form. It is even more of an illusion than is ordinary experience. On this theory, works of art are at best entertainment, and at worst a dangerous delusion.
What are Plato’s objections to art?
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.
What is the main reason why Plato condemns art?
Plato has traditionally been interpreted as condemning the fine arts. The following reasons have been given as the grounds for this supposed condemnation: fine art is (a) imitative, (b) concerned with particulars, (c) immoral.
Where does Plato talk about censorship?
Censorship is the subject of several dialogues in The Republic, the major work of Greek philosopher Plato. His stance is perhaps summarized in Book II of The Republic by the phrase that “literature may be either true or false”, i.e. true stories and fictions, Plato objects to the fictions as false.
What theme does the censors most clearly convey?
The very broad theme of ‘The Censors’ is that government censorship and authoritarianism can cause profound psychological changes in an individual.
How do Plato and Aristotle’s ideas about art differ?
While Plato condemns art because it is in effect a copy of a copy – since reality is imitation of the Forms and art is then imitation of reality – Aristotle defends art by saying that in the appreciation of art the viewer receives a certain “cognitive value” from the experience (Stumpf, p 99).
How does Tolstoy define art?
Having rejected the use of beauty in definitions of art (see aesthetic theory), Tolstoy conceptualises art as anything that communicates emotion: “Art begins when a man, with the purpose of communicating to other people a feeling he once experienced, calls it up again within himself and expresses it by certain external.
Does Plato believe that poets are creative and talented individuals?
Plato believed that great souls and creative talents produce “offspring” which can be enjoyed by others: wisdom, virtue, poetry, art, temperance, justice, and the law (340s BC) —wisdom and virtue in general. And such creators are poets and all artists who are deserving of the name inventor.
What are Plato’s three objections to art?
Thus, artist deals in illusion. 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.
Why Plato banished or compelled artists from the Republic?
Plato is famous for having banished poetry and poets from the ideal city of the Republic. He banished them because they produced the wrong sort of poetry. To rebut Plato’s critique of poetry, what is needed is not a defence of poetry, but a defence of the freedom of poets to write as, and what, they wish.
What is Plato’s criticism?
Platonic criticism, literary criticism based on the philosophical writings of Plato, especially his views on art expressed in Phaedrus, Ion, and the Republic. Art, therefore, was no more than an imitation of an imitation and of value only insofar as it directed the soul toward the real—i.e., Truth, Beauty, or the Good.
Why was Plato critical of artists and poets?
He believed that ‘idea’ is ultimate reality. Art imitates idea and so it is imitation of reality. Whereas poetry deals with illusion – things which are twice removed form reality. So to Plato, philosophy is better than poetry.
How do Plato and Aristotle differ in their aesthetic ideas?
Plato believed that the pleasure we get from artistic imitations, but whereas he was distributed by it (because he thought our pleasure seduced us into accepting a false view of things), Aristotle was not. He differed from Plato on this point because the artist’s imitation helps us learn something.
What is the philosophical perspective of Plato?
In metaphysics Plato envisioned a systematic, rational treatment of the forms and their interrelations, starting with the most fundamental among them (the Good, or the One); in ethics and moral psychology he developed the view that the good life requires not just a certain kind of knowledge (as Socrates had suggested).
What are the disadvantages of censorship?
Disadvantages of Censorship Censorship takes away a significant level of freedom from people. Religion is often misused to promote censorship. May lead to a flawed perception of reality. People will often have a quite narrow horizon. Education may suffer due to censorship. May conflict with human rights.
Why Censorship should not be allowed in schools?
Censorship in schools can also lead to a narrow worldview with holes in the cultural and international education of our children. While parents may be tempted to shelter their children from issues that they find unfavorable or offensive, they may be restricting their child’s ability to grow and learn at the same time.
What were three groups in Plato’s ideal republic?
Plato divides his just society into three classes: the producers, the auxiliaries, and the guardians. The guardians are responsible for ruling the city. They are chosen from among the ranks of the auxiliaries, and are also known as philosopher-kings.
Why did Luisa Valenzuela write the censors?
s the political situation in her home- land grew increasingly violent, Luisa Valenzuela turned to writing to cope. One of the most recognized Latin American writers in the United States, Valenzuela writes novels and short stories that expose the injus- tices of society through satire and wit.
What is the effect of Juan working hard at the censorship division?
What is the effect of Juan working hard at the Censorship Division? He falls in love with a coworker. They cut off his hands.
Why does Juan censor his own letter without regret?
Why does Juan censor his own letter to Mariana “without regret”? He is no longer in love with her, and he doesn’t care about her safety. He knows that if he does not censor the letter, his mother may be in danger. He wants to be sure that he censors all letters thoroughly and conscientiously.
