"where would art fit in a utopian society?"
in a utopian society, there is no dissent, no unhappiness, no societal "rust" in the "gears."
i myself am an artist, as i'm sure many of you are. i happen to be a musician, which is the least frowned-upon form or artistic expression in Plato's republic, but still, my craft would be hindered. i can say for certain that if i were repressed in my craft, i would absolutely speak out. marx and engels, in their communist manifesto, stated as a need of our species the opportunity to express ourselves artistically, among other things. if we are denied these needs, things get hairy.
inherently, we are a creative species, and if those among us who have that need to create are denied the opportunity to do so, i absolutely think there would be some type of artistic revolution, unless there existed some type of widely available, socially acceptable tranquilizer, such as soma in aldous huxley's "brave new world."
in george orwell's "the time machine," society physically splits into two different classes - by this, i mean they physiologically evolve into two different races. the above ground race is a brainless, androgynous species that subsists on fruit, mystically supplied goods, orgiastic sexual encounters, and population control. the below-grounders are hideous, industrial, and predatory on the previously mentioned above-grounders.
without one of these aforementioned systems of existence (chemical dependence, population control, et cetera) i propose that plato's republic would fail. there are simply too many artists.
can you think of a way whereby artists would not be driven insane, other than the scenarios i've offered above? is it even a feasible possibility? what is it exactly that plato despises about artistic expression? whether you believe in jesus or darwin, we are copies of some greater form (dna or jesus himself). why is it so wrong for us, facsimilies ourselves, to use and embrace imitations in our daily lives?
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