Criticisms of Poetry in Plato's Republic Essay Example

Plato’s relationship to poetry is a tumultuous and antagonist affair. Considered a threat to the ideal Republic, Plato theorizes that the multifarious nature of poetry is detrimental to a coherent and just civilization due to its ambiguity and introspection of the faults of human nature. Plato argues that for a just society to exist, every individual must adhere to a single perspective and accept the teachings of their superiors. Poets habitually reject this notion of human simplicity and the heedless acceptance of those in power. Modern poet, Bo Burnham, explores the inherent harm of blind obedience  to the individual and the overall conglomeration of a functioning Republic. Despite this contemporary contradiction, in regards to Kallipolis, Plato’s perfect Republic, Plato’s notion of the poets as dissidents is a credible threat to the maintenance of society.

Conflict arises from the dissatisfaction of the masses where poets are amplifiers of multifarious perspectives that contradict and threaten the ruling regime, threatening the stability of the republic. Plato’s working definition of justice, “having and doing of one’s own, of what belongs to one,” (Plato, Republic, 2014:120) demands an unequivocal reliance on unity and individual contentment. Rejecting social mobility and “doing of one’s own” (120) is an essential characteristic of the prototypical citizen within Kallipolis. It is compulsory to find satisfaction within one’s own social class to create and maintain a harmonious society. The nature of poets endangers the foundation of Plato’s justice by appealing to the commonality and questioning the endeared perspectives of life in the Republic. A poet must “not be lovers of laughter...whenever anyone gives in to violent laughter, a violent reaction pretty much always follows,” ( 69) in order to prevent the augmentation of intense emotion amongst the common man. To maintain a just society, there must be a lack of intensity. For Plato’s Republic to function, only a low caliber of emotion must be allowed. When a poet can enrage, liven, or enthuse the masses the potential for change materializes and, by extension, the destabilization of the existing and accepted regime. Without poets; however, a new problem arises. 

A society that lacks an influx of novel and diverse ideas faces the threat of stagnation and the deterioration of progression. Within Kallipolis, poets present the threat of destabilization: change for the worse. However, if Plato is to truly expel poets, and with them the ingenuity and inventiveness that are intrinsically linked, the risk of gradual deterioration and loss of quality of life emerges. Despite the threat of rejecting poets, Plato poses a solution that, “someone who is ready and willing to taste every kind of learning,” (168) must be deemed a philosopher and rule Kallipolis as king. By limiting only those who are worthy of progression to intellectual and novel thoughts, to the exploration of right and wrong, Plato proposes a system in which diversity is injected purposefully - there is no risk for emotional outburst and destabilization so long as the progression is done by the few and specialized philosophers who are “lovers of seeing the truth,” (169) and will lead their society in a singular direction. 

The underlying fear towards poets rests in their ability to sway the youth who are “especially malleable” (57) and have a mind which “best takes on whatever pattern one wishes to impress on it” ( 57). Plato dictates that the stories of the poets which, “dare to represent the greatest of the gods in so unlikely a fashion,” ( 68) host a powerful potential to create shameful citizens who, “chant many dirges and laments at the slightest sufferings,” (69). The value of education is an inherent theme in Plato’s philosophy and is similarly discussed, with a drastically different perspective, within the twenty-first-century works of Bo Burnham. Burnham opposes propaganda-centric education, noting that “the simple narrative taught in every history class is demonstrably false and pedagogically classist,” (Bo Burnham, “This is How the World Works”) and instead pleads for a necessary criticism of the system in which one operates. Despite the contradictory stances, Burnham’s emphasis on the importance of education reiterates Plato’s essential claim: what one learns in their youth manifests in adulthood. Should a perfect society be reliant on the composition of its citizens, a unifying education that rejects criticism and multifarious perspectives is necessary for the formation of an ideal society.

In regards to the illustrated city of Kallipolis, Plato is correct that poets pose an irrefutable threat to the Republic and must be substituted with philosophers to prevent the degradation and deterioration of society.