The Metaphysics of Appearance in Republic X (596a5–598d7)

Plato's Republic X attack on imitative poetry is based in the metaphysics of appearance, since appearances are the objects and products of imitation. I offer a new reading, showing that Plato's account coherently introduces appearances as a new type of item, distinct from Forms and sensibl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of the history of philosophy Vol. 61; no. 1; pp. 1 - 24
Main Author Franklin, Lee
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 2023
Subjects
Affect (Psychology)
Determinate
Imitation
Metaphysics
Poetry
Reading
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Summary:Plato's Republic X attack on imitative poetry is based in the metaphysics of appearance, since appearances are the objects and products of imitation. I offer a new reading, showing that Plato's account coherently introduces appearances as a new type of item, distinct from Forms and sensible particulars, and applies beyond imitation to a broad range of appearances. Focusing on the importance of perspective to Plato's reasoning, I argue that an appearance is a relation that comes about between a material particular and an apprehending subject. Ordinarily, appearances are transparent: they confer determinate awareness on the subject, but are not the objects of our awareness insofar as we are appeared to. This reading resolves longstanding obscurities, grounds an improved account of imitation, and shows that Plato here presents the cornerstone of a general theory of appearance.
ISSN:0022-5053
1538-4586
1538-4586
DOI:10.1353/hph.2023.0000