Abstract

This project examines the relationship between philosophy and poetry, challenging the traditional view of that positioning them as fundamentally distinct or incompatible modes of inquiry. While philosophy is commonly associated with buzzwords such as conceptual clarity, logical rigor, and systematic analysis, poetry is often regarded as the more emotive and aesthetically orientated mode of inquiry. This work argues that such distinctions, while methodologically useful, obscure the deeper ways in which both disciplines engage with shared concerns regarding existence, knowledge, and human experience. Focusing on the critiques of poetry posed by Plato in Republic and Jean-Paul Sartre in What is Literature? This work analyzes the philosophical assumptions underlying their respective arguments. Plato’s critique centers on poetry as imitation removed from truth and as a potential source of moral and epistemic corruption, while Sartre characterizes poetry as non-communicative and disengaged from the ethical and political responsibilities of inherent in language. By critically engaging with these positions, this project demonstrates that both accounts rely on a limited conception of language and overlook the capacity of poetic expression to convey meaning, disclose truth, and participate in social and political discourse. In response, this work pushes the claim that poetry constitutes a distinct mode of philosophical thinking. Rather than merely illustrating or ornamenting philosophical ideas, poetry enacts more forms of understanding that exceed the limits of propositional language. Through metaphor, imagery, and affective resonance, poetry can arise to show us dimensions of experiences such as embodiment, temporality, and emotional truth that resists reduction to abstract conceptual frameworks. In this sense poetry expands the scope of philosophical inquiry by introducing alternative epistemic and methodological possibilities. Furthermore, this project situates poetry within broader discussions in epistemology and metaphilosophy, arguing that it challenges convential definitions of knowledge and reveals the creative and interpretative nature of philosophical practice itself. By demonstrating how poetry can function as both an engaged and engaging form of discourse, this study ultimately contends that the exclusion of poetry from philosophy is neither necessary nor justifiable. This project concludes that a more integrated approach, one that recognized poetry as a legitimate and valuable mode of philosophical inquiry, allows for a fuller understanding of truth as not only conceptual but also lived, embodied, and experienced.

Advisor

Rudisill, John

Department

Classical Studies; Philosophy

Disciplines

Ancient Philosophy | Classical Literature and Philology | Ethics and Political Philosophy | History of Philosophy | Human Rights Law

Publication Date

2026

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2026 Kareem A. Vasquez