Art and Philosophy

The Paper
Be sure to listen to the interview with Matthew Kieran (in the Assignments folder for the topic: Art and Philosophy), then compose a thoughtful essay that addresses the following questions:
One reason why Plato has Socrates banish art from his ideal city is that it can cause us to give in to our desires for sex, anger, violence and can corrupt decent people. Perhaps we may put his argument like this:
1. Art arouses harmful desires and has the power to corrupt and degrade even decent people.
2. If art arouses harmful desires and has the power to corrupt and degrade even decent people, then it shouldn’t be allowed in a well-ordered society.
3. Thus, art shouldn’t be allowed in a well-ordered society.
Please provide a quote (or quotes) from the assigned readings (not from the internet) in which Plato appears to make this argument.
Based on what he says about catharsis, which premise of Plato’s argument might Aristotle reject and why? What does Aristotle mean by catharsis? Do you find the appeal to catharsis convincing; is art always cathartic and powerless to corrupt us? Feel free to mention the Rock’N Roll Murder case we discussed in class (http://www.films.com/ecTitleDetail.aspx?TitleID=1792&r=) or some other contemporary case/example. Before answering this question, please provide a quote from the readings in which Aristotle mentions catharsis.
Based on what he says in the interview we listened to, “Art, Censorship and Morality” (http://www.open.edu/openlearn/history-the-arts/culture/philosophy/art-censorship-and-morality), which premise of Plato’s argument do you think Kieran would reject and why? According to Kieran, what is the role of public art institutions and what is the point of good and great art? How, according to Kieran, does controversial art help us learn about the world and about ourselves? What would be an example of this? Do you think Kieran’s main reason for opposing censorship of controversial artworks is because such works can also be beautiful, or is it because of what they can teach us? Explain. Do you think that confronting the views expressed by controversial art can be an educative experience? Explain. Do you agree with Kieran on censorship, or do you think museums should censor the works he mentions?
Your paper should be 5 – 7 double-spaced pages in length (not more than 7) and it must be typed. The font size should be 12. I am concerned primarily to have you state clearly the views of these three philosophers and their reasons for holding those views. Critical remarks, either in support of or in opposition to those views are very important, but they won’t come to much unless you can make clear just what their views are and what grounds have been offered to support them. If you need help I am available. Make sure your name appears on your paper.

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