Plato had a complex relationship with the arts, including plays. While he appreciated some aspects of the arts and was a skilled literary stylist himself, he found them threatening due to their potential influence on society. Plato proposed censoring poets and playwrights in his ideal Republic, believing that the arts could shape character and manipulate people[4]. Despite his reservations about plays and other art forms, Plato’s dialogues, often considered literary masterpieces, reveal his engagement with dramatic elements and theatrical imagery to express philosophical concepts[5]. Therefore, Plato’s views on plays were nuanced, reflecting both appreciation for literary expression and concern about their impact on society.
He’s also got a credit as appearing as himself in archive footage, which seems a little unlikely, in The UnXplained with William Shatner of all things.
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