UCLA

The orthodox view is that Plato is hostile toward poetry and that his antagonism is at bottom motivated by his metaphysical commitment to the Forms. I argue instead that Plato is a poetry revisionist, who compellingly critiques popular Greek poetry. Whereas popular Greek poetry fosters illusions of virtue and value, reformed poetry, which includes Plato's own dramatic dialogues, produces accurate images of virtue and value. I argue, further, that Plato's theory of audience psychology applies to moviegoers and that this has implications for the impact of film on adults and philosophical theories of audience response more generally.