An age old debate wonders whether art imitates life, or if life imitates art. As well as this, philosophers and writers also discuss the place of art and artists within an ideal society. Plato and Oscar Wilde take up these opposing points of view in the Republic, and “The Decay of Lying,” respectively.
Plato makes his point in his masterpiece, the Republic, that an ideal state should not allow artists and their works. He states his reason for this as the fact that artists counterfeit ideas from nature. He believes that all things exist in a most pure form, an “essence,” that humans base all other copies of such an object off of. “Then if he does not make that which exists he cannot make true existence, but only some semblance of existence; and if any one were to say that the work of the maker of the bed, or of any other workman, has real existence, he could hardly be supposed to be speaking the truth.” By saying this, Plato explains that because all works made by humans contain flaws, they cannot compare to …show more content…
Similarly, this extends to artists. Because artists make copies of the copies, they create art at two degrees away from the truth. As Plato discusses artists, he added that artists do not focus on creating a perfect facsimile of the option, which furthers the divide from the “essence.” At the conclusion of his discussion, Plato commands to Glaucon that “hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our
Plato makes his point in his masterpiece, the Republic, that an ideal state should not allow artists and their works. He states his reason for this as the fact that artists counterfeit ideas from nature. He believes that all things exist in a most pure form, an “essence,” that humans base all other copies of such an object off of. “Then if he does not make that which exists he cannot make true existence, but only some semblance of existence; and if any one were to say that the work of the maker of the bed, or of any other workman, has real existence, he could hardly be supposed to be speaking the truth.” By saying this, Plato explains that because all works made by humans contain flaws, they cannot compare to …show more content…
Similarly, this extends to artists. Because artists make copies of the copies, they create art at two degrees away from the truth. As Plato discusses artists, he added that artists do not focus on creating a perfect facsimile of the option, which furthers the divide from the “essence.” At the conclusion of his discussion, Plato commands to Glaucon that “hymns to the gods and praises of famous men are the only poetry which ought to be admitted into our