Plato, Aristotle and The Arts
Abstract
The "big questions" regarding the nature of our human existence have been addressed by religions and philosophers from time immemorial. Concomitant with these questions has been the great debate regarding the worth of literature and the arts. After a short review of the "big questions", this essay considers the opposing viewpoints of two great philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, in their assessments of the worth of the Arts. Before I returned to academic life, I made a successful career as a capitalist; a very successful career. And it took me far too long to adequately consider the question, "Who am I?" It was almost an epiphany — it was unsettling to realize that I was not the five- or six-hundred square meter house I lived in, my gated community, the four or five cars in the driveway, or the 8000-euro piano in the living room. None of this got me closer to what it meant to be human, of living a life worthwhile. And certainly "Who am I?" is not sufficiently answered with my bachelor, graduate, and PhD diplomas framed on my office wall. It was late in life that I realized how the benefits of literature and the arts would assist in bringing meaning. The paper concludes with an explanation of how literature can play a significant role in assisting each of us to better understand our place in this world.
Keywords
"the big questions", "Who am I?", "What is truth?", meaning of life, Plato, Aristotle, arts, literature.
Authors
PhD William K. Martin
Beder University College
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