[Kim Dae-sik Column] Should 'AI Art' Be Stopped for Human Survival?

⑤Should Art Be Prohibited?

Alfred North Whitehead, a British mathematician and philosopher, once said, "All Western philosophy is a footnote to Plato." This suggests that Plato had already set the important themes and tone and manner of Western philosophy. Was it the influence of his teacher Socrates, who often asked, "What is justice?" Plato devoted his life to imagining a perfect and just society.

However, the ideal world he conceived was neither democracy nor liberalism, but a dictatorial caste society. Under the rule of the philosopher-king, who is both a philosopher and a king, farmers live as farmers, soldiers as soldiers, and merchants as merchants, each passing their profession down to their children. Plato argued that this was the most just society. And he made a bombshell proposal: in such a perfect society, art must be strictly prohibited!

Plato had extensive knowledge of ancient Greek drama, art, and even music. According to recently discovered documents, before his death, he enjoyed music played by a slave girl and even criticized her for imperfect performance. Personally loving and enjoying art, why then did he say that artists should be banished?

Plato, who said art must be banned

As is well known, Plato believed that the world we perceive with our eyes, nose, and ears is not the true reality. Instead, we only see various shadows of the 'originals' that exist solely in the world of 'Ideas' (Ideals), which we cannot directly observe. Thanks to this, we call different breeds of dogs by the common name 'dog,' and 'two houses,' 'two people,' and 'two journeys' are all various projections of the perfect concept of 'two' that exists only in the world of Ideas.

Of course, Plato's student Aristotle argued that the concept of Ideas itself was an illusion and developed an epistemology based on practical observation and experience. But let's first assume Plato's idea is correct. If reality is a shadow of the Ideas, then logically it must be more imperfect and of lower quality. If the Ideas are luxury goods, then the reality we live in is a counterfeit.

Then Plato's theory of the state also becomes understandable. Born into an inevitably counterfeit world, the best society we can create is one closest to the world of Ideas?that is, a society designed by a philosopher (Plato himself?) who perfectly understands the secrets of the world of Ideas. This can be concluded as the highest form of justice.

Another logical conclusion is also possible. Artists imitate reality (mimesis), but if reality is already a shadow of the world of Ideas, then artists are merely pathetic and foolish people who imitate an imitation, trying to reproduce a counterfeit with another counterfeit.

However, the real reason Plato wanted to ban art was not because of the foolishness of artists. Plato wanted to ban art because he was terrified of it. Why was he afraid of art? Let's think again. Philosophers, including Plato himself, are not gods. They cannot be perfect.

Therefore, the utopia Plato desired and claimed to be closest to the Ideas is just one of infinitely many possible shadows. Ultimately, all realities are equal shadows and projections?this dangerous fact, which foolish people must never know, is shown to us every day by artists. Because of this, art is more destructive than guns or swords and is the most dangerous act in this world.

Art is terrifying because it reveals 'truth'

In fact, Plato was 'right.' Art questions the ontological uniqueness of the dictatorial society he desired, so dictators must ban art. Conversely, art that does not question or doubt the given social reality is always mere propaganda.

In the 21st century, when machines will likely surpass human intelligence in the 'Singularity' that everyone will experience, we must now make a choice. If true 'art' must be able to question the Earth’s order created for Homo sapiens and human uniqueness, then perhaps we must ban art created by machines and machines that create art. For the survival of humanity, we may need to create a dictatorship solely for humans, a 'human dictatorship' society.

Daesik Kim, Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, KAIST