Ancient quarrel or sibling rivalry?: reconciling philosophy and poetry in Plato

Dunne, Bradley Steven (2012) Ancient quarrel or sibling rivalry?: reconciling philosophy and poetry in Plato. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This thesis will attempt to challenge the cogency of Plato's anti-poetry position by dissolving the supposed opposition between philosophy and poetry. By surveying the claims Socrates makes that dismiss poetry and privilege philosophy, we discover that Socrates' antagonism stems from a charge that poetry does not require any discernible skill and is related to an irrational part of the human psyche; conversely, philosophy is superior because it requires a skill (dialectic) and is a strictly rational activity. However, this thesis argues that this is an unfair characterization of both philosophy and poetry. Firstly, we explore how the dialogues themselves undermine Socrates' championing of rationality and logos. This will take up the majority of the thesis. Secondly, we revaluate poetry by turning to Viktor Shklovsky's characterization of poetry, which illuminates the skill of poetry. Finally, we end by illustrating how philosophy and poetry are congruous insofar as they both force the individual to consider new ways of thinking.

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