Reha Kuldal

Platos arguments for the expulsion of the imitative artists from the kallipolis in Book X of Republic: In Book X of Republic, Plato presents a set of arguments for the expulsion of the imitative artists from the kallipolis, which is the ideal city for Plato. There are two streams of arguments in the book; the first stream is about the makers or producers, and is based on a discussion of the ontological status of makers and the imitative artists whereas the second stream is based on a discussion of the worth of the artist from the view point of kallipolis, or of the achievement and maintenance of dikaiosune. The first stream of arguments contains three arguments (pp.265-269). In the first argument, Plato applies the theory of the forms to the example of bed in order to distinguish the ontological status of what makers do from what imitative artists do. According to him, there is firstly the bed in essence, which is not made by any maker (if by anyone, by a god, for the arguments sake) and is single; secondly, the appearance of a bed, which is produced by makers, and thirdly, the bed painted by the artist, which is the imitation of the bed produced by the makers. Since makers are not able to make the form, then, Plato thinks, what makers make is not the reality itself but appearance of a higher reality which is the reality of the forms (597b) In the second argument, which is based on the same discussion, i.e. the discussion of the ontological statuses of works of makers and artists, Plato tells that since artists cannot make the bed but only imitate the appearance of particular beds, then the artist is not a maker but an imitator, their work being the farthest from the truth (597e). In the last argument of the first argumentative stream, according to Plato, though what imitative artists do is to imitate what is produced by makers, if they are skilled they can make others believe otherwise. Therefore, Plato thinks that the imitative artist is a deceiver, their work has no value, and people believe in them because of their ignorance, since they fail to distinguish between knowledge, ignorance, and imitation (598d). In the second argumentative stream, the basis is the thought that everything in the polis should be done for the benefit of the polis; and everything should be fitting together, without excess. Based on this,

Plato discusses the value of the imitative poets from the perspective of their value for the kallipolis. In the first argument of the second stream, Plato takes Homer and other poets, and examines the value of their works according to the benefits they provide to the city. Since their works are not found productive for the benefit of the city, and since they do not manifest their alleged knowledge as actions, Plato concludes that such poets have no grasp of the truth; they imitate images of virtue, and therefore what they do has no value at all (600e). In the second argument, he distinguishes three crafts: one that uses it, one that makes it, and one that imitates it. According to Plato, one who knows a thing the most is the one who uses it, the one who makes it has the right opinion about it, and the one who imitates it has neither knowledge nor opinion about what he imitates. Therefore, Plato concludes that since in that sense tragic poets only imitate the images of virtue, they should not be taken seriously (602b). In the final argument of the second argumentative stream, Plato discusses on which part of the soul the imitative art exerts its power. Plato distinguishes two parts of the soul, the first is associated with reason and considered to be the best part of the soul, closer to truth, whereas the second part is seen inferior and associated with emotions, deception (603a). For Plato, just like deception and emotions are harmful to the human being and should not be surrendered to, the imitative artists, who deceive people and nourish the vices in the city by nourishing the irrational part, must be expelled from the kallipolis unless their art becomes of a kind in line with reason and dikaiosune (605b, 606d).