Greek Tragedy and Its Epistemological-Educational Role in Plato Philosophical System

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Ph.D. student at Department of philosophy of art in Bu-Ali Sina University- Hamadan-Iran

2 Assistant Professor of philosophy of Art, Bu Ali Sina's University of Hamedan

3 Associate Professor, department of philosophy of art in Bu Ali Sina university-Hamadan-Iran

Abstract

This article examines Plato's critical view of Greek tragedy and its function. Plato does not consider tragedy to be just one art or a specific genre of art. In his view, tragedy contains a specific worldview that is current and dominant among people. It is true that Plato's view of tragedy is influenced by his general view of art, but what makes tragedy so important is the way of life in which it is promoted and praised. To examine Plato's view of tragedy and its function, an attempt was first made to examine the concept of "mimesis" (imitation/representation) in Plato's treatises. By examining this concept, it became clear that imitation, as the essence of art, is not in itself negative. It is true that Plato speaks of a reprehensible and objectionable type of imitation in some passages, but this type of approach cannot be generalized to the entire meaning of art. The type of imitation used in the arts determines the Platonic view of it. Imitation that is influenced by the creation, or more precisely, the birth of works of art, is not only not reprehensible, but also necessary and essential; on the contrary, imitation of objects and affairs existing in the world due to its distance from truth is reprehensible and undesirable. After clarifying Plato's dual view of art, we turned to parts of Plato's treatises in which tragedy and its usual functions are implicitly referred to. By nourishing and strengthening the lower part of the soul, ordinary tragedy has a psychological and morally destructive effect on the audience, portrays death as the greatest evil, encourages mourning, and most importantly, promotes a worldview based on the rule of "Moira" (fate). In contrast, Plato believes in a kind of ideal tragedy that represents the "most beautiful and best life" (i.e., a life dedicated to wisdom and virtue). This type of tragedy is not an existing literary genre, but a "project" to be realized in the form of a philosophical life (Socrates in the Phaedo) and an ideal constitution (Magnesia in the Laws). The most important function of this type of tragedy is to purify the soul by separating it from bodily attachments and directing it towards wisdom and virtue

Graphical Abstract

Greek Tragedy and Its Epistemological-Educational Role in Plato Philosophical System

Keywords

References

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Journal of Philosophical Investigations
Volume 20, Issue 55 - Serial Number 55
Articles
Issue 55, Summer 2026
July 2026
Pages 767-784

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