Poetry and Philosophy

This study argues that Aristophanes' Clouds offers a serious critique of Socrates and a coherent two part attack on Socratic philosophy. The first prong of the attack that Socrates was a natural philosopher provides the basis for the second prong the rhetorical charge that Socrates makes the weaker argument the stronger. This rhetorical and scientific understanding of philosophy allows Aristophanes to argue that Socrates undermines the family traditional religion and morality Athenian custom and political health more generally. Plato's Republic is used as the counterpoint to Aristophanes' charges in which Socrates argues that poetry does not contribute to the correct understanding of the gods or human excellence. Thus poetry's pedagogy creates flawed human beings while misunderstanding what is necessary for good citizenship and political health more generally. The final part of the study examines the two notions of political health; the relative rank order of poetry philosophy and politics; and the implications of this study for modern politics.