After much reflection and much intense discussion, Socrates finally reaches a definition of justice and states that leading a just life is worthwhile both for its consequences and for its good. Although these conclusions summarize the main controversy of the Republic, Socrates ventures to clarify his reasons for banning poets in the ideal city. Socrates' decision to ban poetry can initially be considered extremely harsh, especially considering people's current concerns about censorship. With careful analysis and a better understanding of the dialogues, the logic of his judgment of Socrates becomes much clearer and helps demonstrate the negative effects the poem would have on the ideal city. In Plato's Republic, Socrates' ability to maintain control of the ideal city is supported by the ban on poetry and is essential to the city's protection and survival. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayOne of the main reasons why Socrates outlaws poetry can be observed in his idea that the soul is depraved and distorted by poets. Socrates reveals that the best element of the soul is "that which 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 at close range, but when viewed from afar it may appear very small (Republic 602c). The only way to know the true size of the object is to measure it and do calculations; It is not possible to accurately determine the size through imitation. Therefore, when Socrates states that "he who opposes would be one of our inferior parts" (Republic 603a) he is referring to those who oppose the idea of ​​using calculations to draw conclusions and defines them as "inferior". By accepting imitations as reality, people move further and further away from the truth and are consequently transformed from rational souls to irrational souls. The impressionable, appetitive and irrational soul is easily influenced by the arts; this is fundamental to the complete understanding of Socrates' ideas. Poetry and the arts in general were not created purely for the purpose of entertainment, although this is the popular belief. According to Socrates, the arts appeal to our deepest feelings and our most intimate passions, even if most of the time we don't even realize we are influenced by them. Poetry fools most people because we don't believe we are affected by it and we aren't forced to feel what fictional characters feel. In reality, the poem allows us to live vicariously through these characters and behave in ways considered shameful. We are too joyful and extremely envious; we cry excessively and get angry angrily, but we wouldn't want to behave in such shameful ways in real life. Even if we don't want to display these embellished behaviors, we live with them every day, whether we know it or not. Socrates states that "We suffer together with the hero and take his sufferings seriously. And we praise as a good poet the one who affects us most in this way" (Republic 605d). Here Socrates admits that we sometimes give in to the arts because of our appreciation for them, even if we do not find it acceptable to behave this way in our daily lives. He claims that everything we see and read in the arts will eventually become unconsciously embedded in our minds and cause us to act in a certain way, almost as if we hadexchanged places with the fictional characters and became the artists ourselves. Socrates recognizes the strong negative influence that poetry has on the irrational soul and human behavior; he bans the arts to maintain control of his city. Socrates demonstrates how the poet corrupts this "good" part of the soul by distancing people from reality and shifting their thoughts and actions towards 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 making evil people strong (Republic 605b). He goes on to say that every individual has a contaminated soul because imitative poets create images that are not realistic and are far from the truth (Republic, 605b). In summary, Socrates equates the soul and the city, stating that the destruction of the soul will be followed by the end of the ideal city due to the arts. If poets could persuade people to embrace and observe their irrational, emotional and impulsive side, the ideal city would surely collapse. The aforementioned irrational feelings that all humanity will inherently feel at some point in time are brought to the surface by the arts and jeopardize the survival of the ideal city. Socrates explains these desires as the “appetitive soul,” which prioritizes immediate gratification. When Socrates addresses the appetite of the human race, he says, “It 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 more miserable.” -- must be governed" (Republic 606d). Here, Socrates is conveying the idea that the arts manipulate people into feeling sexual desire, anger, pain, and pleasure. Socrates claims that we are all internally governed by these feelings because of he extreme influencing power of poetic imitation. It suggests that instead of satisfying these deep, inner desires, we should conquer them to live a better life. This passage is of fundamental importance because it clearly expresses how profoundly influential the arts are poetry from his ideal city because the human appetite is too weak to overcome the temptations of personal desires. If the arts dominate the individual, bringing to the fore the irrational soul that separates us from reason, Socrates' city will indisputably fail. Socrates' theory of guardian education is quite interesting considering the fact that he recognizes the need for the individual's study of the arts and physical training to complete his city. Although at the beginning of Book III Socrates emphasizes the importance of music during the education of guardians, he also expresses his deep concern about the powerful influence that music will have. Socrates' recognition of the necessity of music can be observed when he states that "it is in musical training that the guardhouse of our guardians must surely be built" (Republic 424d). Here Socrates recognizes how necessary the arts are for the ideal city and seems to go against his own thesis that poetry is dangerous. In contrast to his own statement, Socrates states, "there must be no innovation in musical or physical education that goes against the established order" (Republic 424b). In this statement, Socrates attempts to describe the importance of prohibiting education music of overcoming the laws that he so cleverly promulgated to create the ideal city Adeimantus then discusses the concept of music's infiltration into society through people's routines and daily practices, which could eventually reach the law, resulting in total destruction. of the city (Republic 424d)..