Which statement best captures Socrates' description of art's status as 'an imitation of imitation'?

• A. It copies nature which itself copies reality.
• B. It is a direct and faithful copy of reality.
• C. It is purely imaginative with no relation to the real world.
• D. It has ultimate authority over truth.

Answer: (A)

In Socrates’ view, art is a form of mimesis, meaning it imitates appearances rather than truth. The idea is that the visible world (nature) already imitates the true reality of the forms. So when art imitates nature, it’s imitating an imitation, making art a copy of a copy. That’s why the statement that best captures this is that art copies nature, which itself copies reality.

This isn’t a direct and faithful copy of reality, because art doesn’t copy the ultimate truths themselves—it's a step removed. It isn’t purely imaginative with no relation to the real world, since it still relates to the visible world it imitates. And it certainly doesn’t have ultimate authority over truth; in this view, art holds less authority, not more.