An Argument Against Platos Mimesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

An Argument Against Platos Mimesis - Essay Example The reason Plato did not appreciate the value of literature was because it could not supply us with knowledge. Plato believed in what he referred to as true forms. Every object or idea had a true form counterpart, and all people had some innate sense of these forms. This was how Plato explained how we knew what a tree was. In other words, somewhere in the universe exists the true form of a tree in its most pure form, and we as humans all had some innate sense of what a tree is, and because we have an innate sense of what a tree is because of the true form, we are able to recognize a tree when we see it. The idea of true forms also pertained to notions such as justice, honor, beauty, and other intangibles. The way he applied this to literature was that he felt that literature merely was able to create a reflection, an imitation, of something like justice. Because it was merely creating an imitation, it was inferior to the true form, and because of this it was not able to supply us wit h true knowledge. Also, Plato argued against poets having any real knowledge of the true forms because of their actions. According to this argument, Plato stated that if poetry were to have a real sense or representation of, for instance, justice, then the poet would have to have real knowledge of the true form of justice. If, according to Plato, these poets had a real sense of the true form of justice, then they would not write poetry, which appeals to the emotions and leads people to an unhappy life. Rather, they would choose a course of action in their lives that would lead to this sense of the true form of justice being carried out.