Plato, the man of immortal beauty

by Dr. R. Premkumar

In history of western philosophy, Plato is considered a great figure and some scholars argue that western civilisation and culture owe much to Plato for his rich contribution to western thoughts. Plato appears in Greek period in history of philosophy. It is generally believed that the Greek period is a golden age for art. Hegal, the German philosopher, considers that in this period many forms of art have reached their zenith.

Plato presents more coherent and less contradict ideas on aesthetics even though he was influenced by different schools of thought in his time. Eternal and unchangeable highest knowledge (wisdom) is the target for Plato. Philosophers are possessed of this wisdom. The experience or knowledge given by works of art is devoid of wisdom. If we say in platonic words, art is a copy of the copy.

Plato

An allegory told by Plato named 'the allegory of the cave' in his magnum opus, The Republic reveals the true nature of art and in this allegory shadows of the puppets are believed as originals by the people imprisoned in the cave.

The shadows are copies of the puppet and puppets are copies of the original human beings. According to Plato, the original human beings are realities but the puppets and their shadows are illusions. This allegory illuminates that as a shadow, art is devoid of reality.

Plato contends that artists create illusion and they cheat their spectators. Thus, the artists make them believe illusion as real.

As per Plato, the works of art is an exaggeration of reality. Plato's aesthetic ideas are based on metaphysics (the belief in existence of things beyond the ordinary experience) and ethics.

Wisdom

Plato recognises an instrumental value for art since it helps one to achieve the highest knowledge or wisdom. He recommends good poems to children for making them for good personalities. Since he finds some poems and forms of art evil to well-being of humanity, he insists that the creators of such works of art should be banished from the country.

Plato claims that the great Homer's works have little things to damage healthy characteristics of children and Homer's great heroes have many evil characteristics which should create injustice in individuals and society.

Plato considers that there is a necessary association between forms of art and injustice to man.

He believes that forms of art make an injustice to man by persuading his emotional part of the soul. Plato believes that ethical and psychological foundations of human beings are severely affected by different forms of art.

In his dialogue Phaedrus, in the allegory of chariot, an entire chariot is analogous to the perfect nature of human soul by Plato.

The intellect (reason, righteousness moral impulses, and appetites evil passions) is part of the soul. In this allegory, the charioteer is analogous to reason and both the righteousness and passions to the duo horses. The reason directs the soul (the entire chariot) to enlightenment.

Plato opines that a great poem, at first, dominates the lower part of the soul such as emotions and desires and then weakens the highest part of the soul, rationality.

However, the poetry which creates good personalities are welcome by Plato since the poetry makes good characteristics in the minds of people and provides power for their perfect ethical life.

Plato condemns works of art as an expression of ignorance and illusion. Literary critics depict him as a great literary scholar par excellence. Plato expresses his concerns about a profound influence of negative attitudes and behaviour of heroes in the great epics on the minds of spectators and readers of his time.

Plato finds 'beauty' beyond the limitations of this world experience.

The phrases, a beautiful girl, a beautiful song and a beautiful statue refers to different things but 'beautiful' the common quality is expressed in different phrases.

Plato's beauty is not known by the five senses but it is realised by reason. His beauty is of an eternal highest form.

Beauty

The concept of beauty receives a unique meaning in platonic dialogue and the very concept of the beauty transcends the limits of physical world and gets its meaning in the metaphysical realm.

Plato argues that the beauty is only attained by philosophers and he attributes many characteristics to the concept of beauty and all characteristics are metaphysical in nature.

At the time of Plato, the works of tragedy submerged many spectators in the ocean of suffering and pain.

The suffering and pain were celebrated on a grand scale in Greece. Plato's beauty exists beyond sense experienced by world and it is identified as an unchangeable form or idea only known by philosophers.

For Plato, beauty is not many but one and it is the essence of all things and events of this world and it is one of the attributes of reality. Plato's ideas of beauty and works of art are not matters out of date, actually, many of them are update and immortal in nature.