Philosophy Of Art And Cultural Diversity

Philosophy of Art and Cultural Diversity Tanya Rodriguez

Aristotle’s Poetics

Aristotle saw tragedy as a way to refine the emotions.

So , both Aristotle and Du Bois value the relationship art has with our understanding and our emotions.

Poetry as imitation (mimeses): Art imitates action, but not in the sense that a video camera records action.  The action of a tragedy requires human discretion; the poet must bring forward only the important action.  For Aristotle, ‘action’ must be deliberately chosen (by a rational agent). o Thus, animals and children do not act in Aristotle’s sense.  Action, for Aristotle, has purpose (goal) o Human purposes are seen in human action, but only through understanding (that’s why the video camera can’t represent human action in Aristotle’s sense).  aesthetic imitation is not simply a mirror reflection of life’s events. o rather, imitation reflects important truths about life. Chapter 4: We enjoy looking at portrayals of things we don’t like to see in life.  This is because we come to understand things this way. Character

“Now character determines men's qualities, but it is by their actions that they are happy or the reverse. Dramatic action, therefore, is not with a view to the representation of character: character comes in as subsidiary to the actions.”

 Our character is formed by our actions. o Example: If we usually tell the truth, then we are honest. If I want to be an honest person, then I must habitually tell the truth. Thus, my action (telling the truth) determines my character (honest). o So, tragedy seeks to represent (imitate) actions, and characters are formed by their actions. o See p.34 for a confusing version of this point.

Tragic catharsis: Purification or Purification: purifying something means getting rid of the worse or baser parts of it.  unhealthy fear is made appropriate through the experience of catharsis  tragic pleasure is a paradox; a happy ending doesn't make us happy. At the end of the play the stage is often littered with bodies, and we feel relief. o Why do we watch horror films? Why do we watch movies that make us cry? . Aristotle would answer that releasing these emotions is good for us.

Tragic pity THIS SECTION NEEDS WORK  similar to sympathy (feeling for someone)  recognition (a change from ignorance to knowledge) accompanied by peripeteia (reversals) arouse fear and/or pity o Pity: felt for someone who comes to grief without deserving it o Fear: felt for ourselves? (a sense of fellow-feeling or feeling with someone) fear of how we would feel in their position  appropriate pity reminds us of what we value (we learn the worth of something by losing it) o ‘Pity’ now has connotations of condescension, this understanding of pity is too narrow. o excess of pity: sentimentality o Aristotle does not want us to indulge in our emotions for their own sake. He sees the tragic catharsis as a healthy way to train ourselves in appropriate feeling (a virtue).

 What we pity in others, we fear for ourselves  Our limitations as humans are shown by what we fear. Note the difference between Plato and Aristotle on the role emotions play in art.