Justin Wright
makes his second post.
http://www.glasssteelandstone.com/Images/US/NY/NYC/FreedomTower-014.jpg
This image has been altered by computer to show the Freedom Tower artificially rendered into the New York City skyline. The Freedom Tower is currently under construction, and will replace the World Trade Center towers that were destroyed on September 11, 2001. I believe that this image leads the nation forward, since it shows that we, as a nation, will work to undo the damage of terrorist attacks and stand strong to prevent them. This image also appeals across party lines; even those who disapprove of the war in Iraq or the continuation of the war on terror can agree on the heinousness of the September 11 attacks, and that we should not let them tear the nation apart.
Plato would agree that this image is good for the nation, because it inspires unity and strength. But he most likely would denounce this image on the grounds of being totally untrue – it was digitally generated. Plato ranks the arts below both the ideal realm and the actual realm, for imitating an imitation of the essential form. He would rank fictitious images as the bottom of this category, for not being a form of mimesis at all, and showing a reality that does not currently exist. Plato suggested that only true poems and plays should be performed in The Republic, for the good of the state, and creating a false image to inspire virtue would be no better than to encourage discord – it would almost imply that good does not actually exist, and must be falsified.
http://www.brusselstribunal.org/images/accountable.jpg
This image shows an anti-Bush rally in Brussels, Belgium. It shows a banner displayed above people standing solemnly in front of it, supporting the message. I interpret this image as destructive to the United States, not because of the message of the protesters, but because of the discord it can propagate. Since these are Belgians, people could generalize that the entire nation of Belgium hates President Bush, and they may generalize further and think they hate the United States. Some may even take this to the extreme and think that because Belgians dislike Bush, all foreigners dislike Bush, and much of the world hates the United States. Although erroneous, not much information to the contrary makes it to the media. News of anti-America and anti-Bush protests are often shown, but never the actual statistics of how many people in these countries are opposed to the nation of America in general. Also, at home, this effect increases divisiveness between support and opposition to Bush, because the opposition perceives him to be one of the most hated men in the world today.
Plato would not support the use of this image, because it propagates discord in the state and sullies the leader. Even if it was true that all foreigners everywhere hated the nation’s leader, Plato would not condone allowing such messages to exist in the state. Such images would decrease the faith of the citizen in his ruler, and therefore his allegiance to the nation. Such an effect would be more detrimental to the state than the infamous leader himself, because Plato regarded the state as easily corrupted by influences contrary to those that encouraged virtue, harmony, and allegiance.
1 comment:
I fully agree with your arguments about the photographically rendered depiction of the Freedom Tower. The prospect of this building meant a great deal to many American citizens; to them it meant resiliency and taking back our American pride. The building pushes the country forward, instead of backward, in spite of all the tragedy that has taken place. Like you I believe that Plato would have liked the idea of the building but hated the image itself. I think we can explain Plato's plausible beliefs on the image by quoting a famous idiom, "actions speak louder than words." He would not be interested in reading about a building like the Freedom Tower, nor would he interested in looking at a photograph or painting of it. He would like the idea but only agree with it when the building was actually complete and he could see the resulting unity amongst the people.
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