The Quarrel Between Poetry and Philosophy: Plato - A Sceptical View on ‘Poetry’

Aristotle's Poetics is widely considered the starting point for the literary theory of the Western culture. Nevertheless, Aristotle's work is preceded by a vast array of literary practices and a range of theoretical views on poetry that show the manner in which the Western culture had outlined the idea of literature. Admittedly, one of the most important moments in the historical evolution of the critical reflection on literature is Plato's philosophy. This study analyzes Plato's critical and theoretical views on poetry (as presented in Apology of Socrates, Ion and Republic) in connection with an analysis of the cultural role played by poetry at that time. The paper argues that Plato's critical view on poetry denies tradition and its role, while tradition only stores ‘folk wisdom.’ In fact, Plato's clear distinction between poetry (doxa) and philosophy (truth) represents the birth of an analytical perspective on poetry, seen as a particular cultural phenomenon.