Beyond the Simulacra: Plato's Critical Aesthetics

One of Plato's most infamous legacies is his proclamation that all poets must be banned from the ideal city of philosophy. Instead of viewing this as an embarrassment of his philosophy—as it's so often treated—I argue that this argument serves as the entry point for a proper critical-theoretical conception of art.

In this talk, we'll be revisiting Plato's critique of mimesis—best translated as "imitation"—through a holistic examination of his philosophy. The aim here is not to dismiss the Platonic Socrates' conclusions, but to examine their methodology, their ironies, and their relevance, both to the social world of Ancient Greece and to our own cultural moment.

Ultimately, I seek to outline a poetics of Plato, fundamentally different from that of Aristotle. Central to this is what I call "self-contained negativity"—a moment in which representation reveals its own insufficiency from within, embodying the Platonic dialectic and setting the stage for art that reaches beyond mere images, art that forces us to engage with fundamental questions of existence.

This will not be a conversation about philosophy alone, but about contemporary culture and its stakes in our lives. No preparatory reading is assumed, but it would be helpful to have some familiarity with the following of Plato's dialogues, listed in order of relevance:
- Republic, especially Book 10
- Phaedrus
- Apology
- Ion
- Gorgias
- Symposium

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This talk is part of the 🧠 NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Conference 2025 (#NYCPPRC2025).
For full event details—including venue, schedule, and attendance info—visit:
👉 https://www.meetup.com/reading-philosophy/events/308631821/
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