Entry 2: Paraphrase

1.   Aristotle on the other hand, believed that imitation involves human experience and in that sense he saw a role for the arts. According to Aristotle, the artist has the freedom to imitate aspects of nature, but he does insist on the unity of form (formal and structural qualities). Aristotle explains form in terms of its “causes” by which he means any external factor (apart from “matter”’) that explains why something is the way it is, and what function it can perform. In short, form is that which causes something to be the thing it is. So whereas Plato’s form relates to Ideal forms, Aristotle relates form to something inherent in the object.
Imitation and Beauty

Paraphrased version:

 Aristotle believed that imitation involves human experience. And with it, he saw its role for the arts. He believed that every artist has the freedom to imitate the aspects of nature. But he does insist on the unity of form. And by "form in terms of its causes" he means any external factor that explains something to be the thing it is. Aristotle relates form to something inherent in the object whereas Plato's form relates to Ideal forms.

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2.   Another difference between Plato and Aristotle is the way they discuss imitation in relationship to beauty. For Plato, beauty is an idea, something abstract that is revealed in the order of the natural world. Hence the importance he placed on mathematics as the key to understanding the natural world. For Aristotle, beauty is something real, it is also a function of form, it is not abstract as for Plato, but it is grounded in an object. In other words, it is bound to a context.


Paraphrased Version:

 Plato and Aristotle have different views on the imitation in relationship to beauty. For Plato, beauty is an idea, something abstract that is revealed in the order of the natural world. He relates it to mathematics which, as well, is essential in understanding the natural world. For Aristotle on the other hand, beauty is something real, not abstract as how Plato view it. It is also a function of form but it is grounded in an object. In other words, it is bound to a context.