Art is the creative manifestation of essences. In order to
understand the relation between art and reality, we need a
philosophical guide.

The best way to comprehend how the creative act of
imagining enables the mind to seek reality is to employ the
kind of dialectical thinking that Plato used in his dialogues.
Beginning with the shadows on the wall of the cave in
which each person dwells, that process gradually enables us
to grasp the essences that are manifested in individual works
of art. Without a philosophical guide, we are likely to
encounter only a blur of images in the visual arts, a
cacophony of sounds in music, a whirl of activity in the
theater, and chaos in the building of cities.

Philosophy was eclipsed by a variety of cultural forces in
the 20th century, leaving thinkers in all fields without a
compass. The tension between absolutism and relativism led
many people to abandon the search for reality and seek
shelter by returning to the cave.

We should expect neither too much nor too little from
philosophy. It is too much to expect a set of final answers to
any serious question about what is true, good, or beautiful.
If we abandon the quest for reality we settle for too little.
Plato’s dialectical approach offers a path between Scylla
and Charybdis.

Aidan Anderson