After much deliberation and intense argument, Socrates finally arrives at a definition of justice and asserts that living a just life is worth it both for its consequences and for its herself. Although these conclusions summarize the main dispute of the Republic, Socrates takes the liberty of clarifying his reasoning for banning poets from the ideal city. Socrates' resolution to ban poetry can be seen as extremely harsh at first, especially considering people's current concerns about censorship. With further analysis and better understanding of the dialogues, Socrates' justification for his judgment becomes much clearer and helps demonstrate the negative effects poetry would have on the ideal city. In Plato's Republic, Socrates' ability to maintain control of the ideal city is supported by the banishment of poetry and is essential to the protection and survival of the city. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay One of the main motives for Socrates' banning of poetry can be seen in his notion that the soul is depraved and distorted by poets. Socrates reveals that the best element of the soul is “he who trusts in measurement and calculation” (Republic 603a). This statement refers to the discussion between Socrates and Glaucon about how things appear versus how they actually are based on measurements and calculations. For example, an object may appear large because it is nearby, but seen from a distance it may appear very small (Republic 602c). The only way to know the true size of an object is to measure it and perform calculations; it is not possible to accurately determine the size by imitation. Therefore, when Socrates states that "he who opposes it would be one of the lower parts in us" (Republic 603a), he is referring to people who object to the idea of ​​using calculations to derive insights. conclusions and describes them as “inferior”. By accepting imitations as realities, people move further and further away from the truth and consequently move from rational souls to irrational souls. The impressionable, appetitive and irrational soul is easily influenced by the arts; it is imperative to understand this for a complete understanding of Socrates' ideas. Poetry and the arts in general were not created for mere entertainment, although that is popular belief. According to Socrates, the arts appeal to our deepest feelings and our most intimate passions, although most of the time we do not even realize that we are influenced by them. Poetry deceives most people because we do not believe we are affected by it and are not obligated to feel what fictional characters feel. In reality, poetry allows us to live vicariously through these characters and behave in ways that are considered shameful. We are too joyful and extremely envious; we cry excessively and we are angry, but we would not want to behave so shamefully in real life. Even though we don't want to display these embellished behaviors, we live with them every day, whether we know it or not. Socrates says: “We suffer with the hero and take his suffering seriously. And we praise the one who touches us the most as a good poet” (Republic 605d). Here Socrates admits that sometimes we give in to the arts because of our appreciation for them, even if we do not think it is acceptable to behave that way in our livesdaily. He claims that everything we see and read in the arts will eventually become anchored unconsciously in our minds and cause us to act in a certain way, almost as if we had switched places with the fictional characters and were we -themselves became the interpreters. Socrates recognizes the strong negative influence of poetry on the irrational soul and human behavior; he bans the arts in order to maintain control of his city. Socrates demonstrates how the poet corrupts this "good" part of the soul by distracting people from reality and directing their thoughts and actions toward idealism. Socrates compares a poet who destroys the rational soul by increasing the strength of the irrational soul to someone who can take control and ruin a city by empowering the wicked (Republic 605b). He goes on to say that every individual has a tainted soul because imitating poets create images that are unrealistic and far from the truth (Republic, 605b). In summary, Socrates equates the soul and the city, declaring that the destruction of the soul will be followed by the disappearance of the ideal city due to the arts. If poets succeed in persuading people to embrace and observe their irrational, emotional and impulsive side, the ideal city will surely collapse. The aforementioned irrational feelings that all humanity will intrinsically feel at some point are brought to the surface through the arts and jeopardize the survival of the ideal city. Socrates explains these desires as the “appetitive soul,” which prioritizes instant gratification. When Socrates addresses the appetite of the human race, he says, "He feeds and waters them when they should be parched, and establishes them as rulers in us when, if we would become better and happier rather than worse and happier." more miserable. "--they should be governed" (Republic 606d). Here, Socrates conveys the idea that the arts manipulate people into experiencing sexual desire, anger, pain, and pleasure. Socrates asserts that we are all governed internally by these feelings because of the extremely influential power of poetic imitation. He suggests that instead of dealing with these deep, internal desires, we should overcome them in order to live a better life. This passage is of utmost importance because it clearly expresses how profoundly influential the arts are. Socrates must banish poetry from his ideal city because the human appetite is too weak to overcome the temptations of personal desires. If the arts control the individual, bringing to the fore the irrational soul that separates us from reason, the city of Socrates will undoubtedly fail. Socrates' theory on the education of guardians is very interesting considering the fact that he recognizes the need for the education of guardians. artistic studies as well as physical training to complete his city. Although earlier in Book III Socrates emphasizes the importance of music in the tutors' education, he also expresses his deep concern about the powerful influence that music will have. Socrates' recognition of the need for music can be seen when he says that "it is in musical training that the guardhouse of our guards must surely be built" (Republic 424d). Here Socrates recognizes how necessary the arts are to the ideal city and seems to go against his own proposition that poetry is dangerous. Contrary to his own statement, Socrates asserts that “there must be no innovation in musical or physical training which goes against the established order” (Republic 424b). In this statement, Socrates attempts to describe the importance of prohibiting musical training from overstepping the laws he so skillfully laid down.