For more than two thousand years, various philosophers have questioned the influence of art in our society. They used abstract reasoning, human emotions and logic to reach beyond this world in search of answers about the existence of the arts. For philosophers, art was not considered for its own beauty, but rather for the question of how art and artists can help make our society more stable for the next generation. Plato, a Greek philosopher who lived in Athens between 420 and 348 BC. B.C., and Aristotle, Plato's student who argued against his beliefs, have no exception to the steps they had to take to understand the purpose of art and artists. Although both of these philosophers made wonderful discoveries about the existence of art, artists, and aesthetic experience, Plato made his works more controversial than Aristotle. During ancient Greece, Plato was the first human being to document and criticize the existence of art and art. artists. He mentioned that human art was always in the form of a representation of something else. In one of Plato's famous works, he demonstrates that the idea of ​​art is like an "imitation of nature" (Blocker 3). In other words, the purpose of art was to represent nature and nothing else. Art was not created for its own sake or to appreciate its own beauty by any means. Instead, art, usually in the form of writings, paintings, or sculptures, was created solely to depict nature, gods, emperors, families, or other important individuals. Additionally, Plato had a very critical view of the existence of art in our society, because art makes us more emotional and our emotions lead to many mistakes about life. He believed that it was our rational thinking, not our emotions or senses, that helped us acquire knowledge beyond the understanding of ordinary people. However, in some ways Aristotle did a better job than Plato. As a result, his ideas will continue to exist in this world for generations to come. Works Cited Blocker, H. Gene. and Jennifer M. Jeffers. Contextual aesthetics: from Plato to Lyotard. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Pub., 1999. Print. Jones, David. “ARISTOTLE’S AESTHETICS.” Rowan University. Ulbery Press, April 19, 2007.Web. November 17, 2011. Havelock, Eric. Views of the Republic. Stanford: Brooke Spencer, January-February. 2003. PDF. Lingis, Alphonso. “Literary Reference Center – Powered by EBSCOhost.” EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Routledge, February 2, 2004. Web. November 17, 2011. Stecker, Robert. “The Journal of Aesthetic Education.” Plato's Expression on Art 26.1 (1992): 1-122. Jstor. Ithaca, June 7, 1992. Web. November 17. 2011.