Traditional interpretations of Plato regard him either as an enemy of the imagination in his views of philosophic discussion, or as a purveyor of imaginative lies in his authoritarian and anti-democratic view of politics.
This thesis challenges both these interpretations. It argues that the imagination is both philosophical and democratically political. In the Republic images and stories balance and enrich rational argumentation. Socrates, Glaucon and Adeimantus found a city in speech together. Image-making thus contains important democratic aspects.
In support of this argument I firstly...