LelandStanfordJr
Smash Apprentice
From the Debate Hall: Thread by Delorted1
You are making a gross generalization about the significance of poetry based on a superficial evaluation of poetry at school.
But you aren't the only one who has adopted this sentiment; it goes all the way back to Plato and "The Republic" in which he criticizes sophists and their linguistic form of "poetry" as inferior to his (or "Socrates'") form of "logic."
Unfortunately, his reflection on the significance of poetry ignores the impact creative forms of expression, such as poetry, have on social norms and development. I'd highly suggest reading Harold Bloom's "Where Shall Wisdom be Found," Percy Bysshe Shelley's "A Defense of Poetry," and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Circles." Also read some Richard Rorty (who covers analytical philosophy but ALSO explains the significance of poetry in our understanding of "what is real?")
Poetry allows us to view what we believe as "rational" and "logical" in a new light, helping us deconstruct bastions of absolutism. So long as we are brave and willing to explore AND TEST creative concepts, social and scientific progress is possible. Plato's analogical form of "reasoning" (which was flawed) was in fact an extension of poetic thought/parallelism. Bloom turns Plato on his head.
Music falls in the general category the fine arts and is an even more abstract form of poetry. Does it "fail"? Take this quote from Albert Einstein: "It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception."
Poetry drives inspiration, perhaps not all the time, and not for everyone, but it does whether you find it or not.
You are making a gross generalization about the significance of poetry based on a superficial evaluation of poetry at school.
But you aren't the only one who has adopted this sentiment; it goes all the way back to Plato and "The Republic" in which he criticizes sophists and their linguistic form of "poetry" as inferior to his (or "Socrates'") form of "logic."
Unfortunately, his reflection on the significance of poetry ignores the impact creative forms of expression, such as poetry, have on social norms and development. I'd highly suggest reading Harold Bloom's "Where Shall Wisdom be Found," Percy Bysshe Shelley's "A Defense of Poetry," and Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Circles." Also read some Richard Rorty (who covers analytical philosophy but ALSO explains the significance of poetry in our understanding of "what is real?")
Poetry allows us to view what we believe as "rational" and "logical" in a new light, helping us deconstruct bastions of absolutism. So long as we are brave and willing to explore AND TEST creative concepts, social and scientific progress is possible. Plato's analogical form of "reasoning" (which was flawed) was in fact an extension of poetic thought/parallelism. Bloom turns Plato on his head.
Music falls in the general category the fine arts and is an even more abstract form of poetry. Does it "fail"? Take this quote from Albert Einstein: "It occurred to me by intuition, and music was the driving force behind that intuition. My discovery was the result of musical perception."
Poetry drives inspiration, perhaps not all the time, and not for everyone, but it does whether you find it or not.
