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Plato's Republic

by Plato

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Student Question

Why does Plato banish writers from the Republic and how would you counter this?

Quick answer:

Plato banished poets from the Republic because he believed that poetry was a form of imitation, and that, as such, it led society further from the truth and rationality.

Expert Answers

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It isn't all writers who are banned from the Republic—just poets. In Plato's words,

the tragic poet is an imitator, and therefore, like all other imitators, he is thrice removed from the king and from the truth.

In this statement, Plato makes his thoughts on poets quite clear: they have no place in society. As poetry (and art, for that matter), is an imitation of something else and consists of imagery and interpretations, Plato argues that it leads society further from rationality and further from the truth.

There are a few arguments as to why Plato found poetry so despicable. First of all, he was a believer in rationality and clear thinking and was opposed to any kind of writing that pandered to emotion. Secondly, poetry is, by nature, a manipulation of words and, according to Plato, emotive language such as poetry has the ability to appeal to emotions rather than logic, which creates complications in society.

In addition, Plato argues that a poet can lie or incite actions that contradict a virtuous society using his words.

I would counter this by arguing that creativity and self-expression has a justified place in every society. By preventing poets from writing, Plato was banning a form of expression that can have immense value, both to the individual writing it and to society at large. The imitation of life, whether in the form of poetry or art, is recognized as such, and does not cause harm to the fabric of society.

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