Plato and Aristotle were pro-fascist, pro-plutocratic. They naturally recommended intellectual fascism, and thus, censorship in general, and suspicion towards art and poetry, or the imagination.
The imagination branches out possibilities and probabilities into the future. Art, poetry just put it down into a material medium. To be against it, is to be against freedom of minds, and the future. A tall order. But not tall enough for fascism and plutocracy, whose very essence is to crack down on independent minds, and the future.
Aristotle was more open to art than Plato. However, even the invention of the word "catharsis" and the concept attached to it by Aristotle is suspicious. The qualities in poetry Plato thought so negative were useful to "purge" violent and destructive emotions. Such was the importance of performance art for Aristotle: a will to control permeates his "Poetics".
By enacting violence and destructive emotions on the stage, poetry "purged" audiences of these negative traits. Thus catharsis elevated the human personality and made better domesticated citizens, ready to serve Aristotle's pupil, Alexander.
We are far from the rebellious spirit the Franks would impose later to the Roman (Catholic!)empire.
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