Philosophy against poetry: Reflections about an ancient dispute

Abstract

The article offers an interpretation of the controversial and apparently unacceptable characterization of poetry developed in Plato’s Republic. The main objectives of the discussion are: to clarify the motivations for such characterization, to disentangle the various and discontinuous arguments that compose it, and to critically evaluate its limitations and the extent of its defensibility. It is concluded that not all the positions adopted by Plato with respect to poetry are unsustainable, and that when they are, this is due to reasons which result particularly revealing.