PLATO’S REJECTION OF POETRY: A DEFENSE OF FALSEHOODS AND IMITATIONS IN THE REPUBLIC

In various Platonic dialogues, Socrates appears to discredit myth and fiction. Most notably in the Republic, he seems to argue that poetry is harmful due to its false nature and its relation to imitation which misleads those who experience it about the nature of the good. Yet, in many of these same dialogues, Socrates makes multiple appeals to myths, either using the previously constructed myths of others, or constructing stories of his own. Given that the dialogues themselves are fictionalized conversations written by Plato, a student of Socrates, he himself cannot categorically reject fictional stories. I argue that Plato’s critical examination and restriction of myth and poetry is not an absolute rejection. Rather, Plato is rejecting that poetry which ignorantly depicts falsehoods. This ignorance cultivates mistaken beliefs of what is most important; the good, right, and virtuous, and ultimately causes disharmony and harm in the souls of its audience.