A disputa de Platão com a poesia homérica na formação do homem grego

Abstract

This research investigates the complex relationship between philosophy and poetry in the work of Plato, focusing on his dispute with the poetic tradition represented by Homer and his simultaneous appropriation of poetic elements in his dialogues. The central problem guiding the study is: how does Plato, while criticizing poetry for its negative effects on the moral formation of citizens, also employ poetic resources as philosophical and pedagogical tools? To address this question, the dialogue Ion and Books II, III, and X of the Republic are analyzed. The study adopts a bibliographical methodology, based on classical authors and contemporary commentators, and argues that Plato’s stance does not constitute an outright rejection of poetry, but rather an attempt to reorient it according to the principles of his philosophical theory: the exercise of reason and the pursuit of transcendent truth. The conclusion is that, in Plato, there exists a productive tension between philosophical reason and poetic creation, in which poetry—when disciplined by philosophy—can serve an educational role in the moral development of citizens