Poetry and Philosophy

Spetses - Amerikanos July 2015

Poetry and Philosophy
Introduction to poetry and philosophy.

Very often when our attention is turned towards philosophy and poetry, the question arises what is the difference between the two. There exists at times an uneasy relationship between the two. One needs only to recall that Plato as well as Hegel denied poetry to be a source of truth. Other philosophers transformed the poet's intention beyond recognition as was the case with Heidegger's interpretation of Hoelderlin. Likewise the poetry of Paul Celan was considered by the German philosopher Gadamer as a threat to the German language. Quite another challenge posed Adorno of the Frankfurt School when he stated that after Auschwitz no more poetry was possible. A lot of people, poets included, have rebelled against such a dictum but Adorno has a point. It has to do with poetry being only possible if the ethical vision of mankind is sustained not only in actions, but also in all kinds of ideas to the point. No wonder that Adorno wished to pass on messages to future generations as to what was happening now. However, he would not want to entrust people with that task since they could not be trusted to pass on the truth, but only to an ‘imaginary witness.’ That figure of speech has yet to be understood. However, there is another relationship between philosophy and poetry when some premise becomes a part of the poetic agenda. Michel Foucault proclaimed, for example, in his book analyzing the relationship between insanity and society, that "we have to discover the places of silence before the lyrical protest covers them up." Silence and language was as well a key topic when George Steiner reflected as to what happened in Germany when National Socialism reigned, and people were silenced by a fierce command language. Not to speak up and say the truth out of fear to be punished, means to institutionalize censorship. Very different is the kind of silence which allows a practice of economy of words, so that they retain their full meaning.

Hatto Fischer (last update: 27.5.2016)

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Poetry and Philosophy

Introduction to poetry and philosophy.