Philosophical Perspectives on Art
Summary
TLDRThis video explores four philosophical perspectives on art, highlighting ideas from Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, and Leo Tolstoy. Plato viewed art as an imitation of an imitation, potentially misleading and emotional. Aristotle, on the other hand, saw art as representing possibilities in reality, offering pleasure and teaching life lessons. Kant emphasized art's purposelessness, believing that beauty arises from its form without practical function. Tolstoy argued that art communicates emotions, serving as a unifying social tool across time and cultures. These ideas shape our understanding of art's role in human experience.
Takeaways
- 🎨 Plato viewed art as an imitation of an imitation, suggesting that art is a copy of the physical world, which itself is a copy of the true reality found in the world of forms.
- 📜 Plato was against the use of art in society and education, arguing that it appeals to emotions rather than reason and can lead to illusions.
- 🎭 Aristotle, unlike Plato, saw art as a representation of possible versions of reality, not just a mere imitation.
- 📚 Aristotle believed that art serves two purposes: providing pleasure through experiences that are otherwise unpalatable, and teaching about life to reveal truths.
- 🏛 In 'Poetics', Aristotle discusses Greek drama as a form of poetry that represents what things might be, rather than what they are.
- 🌟 Kant in 'Critique of Judgment' argues that beauty in art is found in its purposelessness and the pleasure it brings, independent of any practical function.
- 🎨 For Kant, aesthetic judgment is not based on the external purposes art may serve, but on its inherent beauty as art.
- 📖 Leo Tolstoy in 'What is Art?' defends the value of art, even in times of poverty, as it communicates unique emotions from the artist to the audience.
- 🌐 Tolstoy sees art as a social tool that can articulate and make accessible the innermost thoughts and feelings of people across time and cultures.
- 🤝 Art, according to Tolstoy, has the potential to foster social unity by expressing shared human emotions and experiences.
Q & A
What does the term 'mimesis' mean according to Plato?
-Mimesis is a Greek word that means 'copy' or 'imitation.' Plato used this term in 'The Republic' to describe art as an imitation of an imitation. He believed that the physical world is a copy of the ideal world of forms, and art merely imitates this already flawed copy.
Why was Plato against the use of art, especially in education?
-Plato believed that art appeals to emotions rather than reason and leads to illusions instead of reality. He argued that art, particularly poetry, could mislead people by rousing wild emotions, misrepresenting the gods, and miseducating individuals by clouding their judgment.
How did Aristotle’s view of art differ from Plato’s?
-While Aristotle agreed with Plato that art is a form of imitation, he believed that art represents possible versions of reality rather than being an imitation of an imitation. Aristotle saw art as offering visions of what might be and considered it valuable for providing pleasure and teaching about life.
What are the two purposes of art according to Aristotle?
-Aristotle believed art serves two main purposes: 1) it allows for the experience of pleasure, even from situations that may otherwise be repugnant in real life, and 2) it teaches about life and helps reveal philosophical truths.
How did Aristotle describe Greek drama in his work 'Poetics'?
-In 'Poetics,' Aristotle described Greek drama, particularly poetry, as a literary representation of what things might be. He emphasized that it was not a reflection of reality as it is, but an exploration of possibilities and potential versions of reality.
What does Immanuel Kant mean by 'aesthetic judgment'?
-Kant’s concept of aesthetic judgment refers to our judgment of beauty. According to him, objects we find beautiful are pleasurable and seem to have been designed with a purpose, even though they may not serve any apparent practical function.
What is the significance of 'purposelessness' in Kant’s view of art?
-Kant argued that what makes art truly beautiful is its 'purposelessness'—the idea that it appears to have been designed with intention, yet does not have any practical or external function. Art, in his view, does not need to justify itself by serving any particular purpose.
What role does art play according to Leo Tolstoy?
-Tolstoy viewed art as a powerful medium for communicating emotions. He believed that art serves as a language that allows the artist to convey emotions that might otherwise be inaccessible to the audience, connecting people across time and space.
How does Tolstoy see art contributing to social unity?
-Tolstoy believed that art has a social dimension and can be used as a tool for social unity. By expressing deep emotions and thoughts, art can create connections among individuals and communities, making it a means of fostering shared experiences and understanding.
What is the main difference between Kant and Tolstoy’s views on the purpose of art?
-Kant believed that art does not need to serve any external purpose and is valuable for its beauty and form alone, while Tolstoy emphasized art's role in communicating emotions and contributing to social unity.
Outlines
🎨 Philosophical Perspectives on Art
This video explores four different philosophical views on art, aiming to delve deeper into the nature of art and its impact on human experience. It starts with the concept of 'mimesis,' a Greek term for imitation, which is central to Plato's critique of art in 'The Republic.' Plato argues that our world is a mere imitation of the true reality, the world of forms, and thus art, being an imitation of this world, is a copy of a copy. He advises against the use of art in society and education, as it appeals to emotions rather than reason and can lead to illusions. In contrast, Aristotle, while agreeing that art is an imitation, sees it as a representation of possible realities, not just a mirror of what is. He discusses the role of art in Greek drama, suggesting that it provides a vision of what might be and serves to entertain and educate.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mimesis
💡Plato's World of Forms
💡Imitation
💡Aristotle’s Representation of Reality
💡Aesthetic Judgment
💡Form of Finality
💡Emotions in Art
💡Tolstoy's Social Unity
💡Purposeless Beauty
💡Art as a Language
Highlights
Plato describes art as an imitation of an imitation, as he considers this world to be a copy of the true reality found in the world of forms.
Plato argues that art appeals to emotions rather than reason, leading to illusions and miseducation.
Plato advises against the use of art, especially poetry and painting, in society and education.
Aristotle, while agreeing with Plato that art is an imitation, sees it as a representation of possible versions of reality.
Aristotle believes art provides a vision of what might be, offering multiple possibilities within reality.
Aristotle asserts that art serves two purposes: it provides pleasure and teaches about life, helping reveal philosophical truths.
Emmanuel Kant views beauty as something that is pleasurable and delightful, with works of art possessing a form of finality.
Kant argues that beautiful objects appear to have been designed with purpose, though they lack any apparent practical function.
For Kant, art is 'purposeless,' meaning it does not need to serve an external purpose, like education or politics, to be considered art.
Leo Tolstoy defends the production of extravagant art, like operas, despite the extreme poverty in the world.
Tolstoy believes art communicates unique emotions of an artist to their audience, serving as a language of feelings.
Tolstoy sees art as a medium for social unity, as it articulates emotions from different times and places, making them accessible to others.
Tolstoy emphasizes the social dimension of art, suggesting it can foster understanding and connection across societies.
For Tolstoy, art's ability to express man's innermost thoughts makes it a tool for social unity and communication.
The video covers four philosophical perspectives on art from thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Tolstoy, offering diverse views on its purpose and value.
Transcripts
have you ever wondered how great
thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle
thought about
art in this video we take a look at four
philosophical perspectives on Art and
understand deeper what art is and how it
helps shape Human
Experience the term mimesis is a Greek
word which means copy or
imitation it is the term used by Plato
in his work entitled The Republic in
describing art according to him art is
an imitation of an
imitation this is because for Plato this
world is just a copy of what he
considers to be truly real that is the
ideas that are found in what he calls
the world of
forms hence if this world is a mere copy
of the world of forms and art say a
painting is an imitation of this world
of its sceneries objects people Etc then
art is merely an imitation of an
imitation as such Plato advised is
against the use of art especially of
poetry in painting in society especially
in
education he argues that art appeals
only to the emotions rather than to
reason and that it leads to Illusions
rather than to
reality poetry for example can Rouse
wild emotions misrepresent the gods or
speak badly about heroes and thus Cloud
the minds of and miseducate
people Aristotle Plato's most most
important student agreed with his
teacher that art is a form of
imitation however unlike Plato who
thought that art is an imitation of an
imitation Aristotle saw art as a
representation of possible versions of
reality for him all kinds of art such as
poetry music painting Etc do not aim to
represent reality as it is rather they
provide a vision of what might be or the
many possibilities in reality
talking about Greek drama in his work
entitled Poetics for example Aristotle
claimed that its poetry is just a
literary representation in general an
attempt to represent what things might
be for Aristotle art has two
purposes one it allows for the
experience of pleasure experiences that
are otherwise repugnant can become
entertaining in art and two it teaches
about life and helps philosophy in
revealing truth Greek plays are usually
of this
nature in his work entitled critique of
judgment Emmanuel Kant considered one of
the forms of aesthetic judgment that is
our Judgment of beauty according to Kant
objects that we consider beautiful such
as works of art are first and foremost
pleasurable or
delightful not only that and more
importantly they possess what he calls a
form of finality that is they appear to
have been designed with a purpose
although they do not have any apparent
practical
function this Kant argues is what makes
works of art truly beautiful that they
are
purposeless hence for Kant Judgment of
beauty is not made based on how well a
work of art serves an external purpose
such as education or a political
commentary art needs no justification
other than the fact that it is
Art in his book entitled what is art Leo
Tolstoy defended the production of
extravagant art such as operas despite
extreme poverty in the world according
to him art plays an important role in
communicating certain and oftentimes
unique emotions of an artist to his
audience art then for Tolstoy serves as
a language that articulates feelings
that are otherwise unavailable to an
audience it makes emotions of people
from the past and present from one
country to another accessible to others
for this reason Tolstoy also sees art as
having a social
Dimension as a medium for man's
innermost thoughts and feelings art can
be used as a tool for social
Unity if you find our videos helpful
please consider supporting our channel
in by m a coffee or check out these
other
videos thank you and see you in our next
one
Ver Más Videos Relacionados
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)