Two Famous Philistines of Philosophy

Christopher Devlin Brown sees similarities and differences in Nietzsche’s and Plato’s critiques of art.

- Christopher Devlin Brown

Received wisdom says that the philosophical projects of Nietzsche and Plato are about as diametrically opposite as any two philosophical projects can be. This impression is not without justification. Plato is the

philosopher of otherworldly order who argued that our senses do not reveal any valuable or fundamental truths. Nietzsche is a selfproclaimed inverter of Platonic philosophy, denying and damning all that is eternal, perfect, and transcendent. However, an overlooked parallel between Nietzsche and Plato in their aesthetic ideas shows they have some unexpected common ground. Specifically, they both attack broad classes of art, arguing that such art is socially problematic. The problem for both of them is that art can negatively affect the development of higher types of people.

“But wait,” you might already be saying, “I can remember Plato’s anti-art attitude; but isn’t Nietzsche a proponent of art, even at times holding it above his often beloved science?”