In essence Aristotle follows a thought pattern similar to Plato when he refers to art within society. Like Plato, Aristotle believes that art is a sort of techne that has to adhere to rules of measure and balance to be good art. He also thinks of the arts, like poetry and painting, to be a form of imitation of the real world. Within these ideas, Aristotle does deviate from Plato and brings in his own interpretation of the nature of art that gives it a role in society.

Aristotle starts his reasoning by defining what art is. He feels that art and nature are connected and that art comes from an order of reasoning where the process is used to reach a conceptual end (pg.85). He adds that all the steps of the process are necessary and need to be followed in a specific order to reach the end. This is quite a shift from Plato and covers the flaw that art is too far removed from the ideal to be of any use. I think that Aristotle's philosophy covers modern art ideas, like conceptual art much more easily than Plato's writings.

Another shift in thinking happens when Aristotle discusses the formula of reasoning that is used to create. He recognizes that both good and evil can come from the same formula as they are both derived from the same elements (pg.82). I think that leads to a better understanding of the nature of things as one can consider the whole picture rather than censored pieces of a whole.

Although this appears to change the fundamental structure of society as Plato saw it, it really changes the idea very little. I don't think that Aristotle would have condoned the illustration of vice to the extent it is embedded within modern society. Like Plato, he did believe in universals that apply to all of society, particularly good. The role of the philosopher as the parent of the State is still valid, as in Plato's view. Instead of shielding the masses from the evil of society, Aristotle feels that art can be used as a moral tool to illustrate the downfall of vice (pg. 100). In this sense, art picks up for the deficiencies of nature, but it is in a form that will be easily accepted by the masses. He realizes that art is popular because people are drawn to imitation as it is an essential part of human nature and learning (pg.100). This aspect of humanity was overlooked by Plato and flawed his thinking about the potential role of the arts in the State.

From that concept, Aristotle clarifies exactly what sort of art would be best to use as an illustration of moral values. He feels that tragic drama is the best vehicle for passing philosophical concepts to the masses. He says that a good tragedy will inspire fear or pity from the viewer (pg. 107). He goes on to outline what parts make up a tragedy and the order of their importance. Aristotle puts the plot as the most important element in the tragic drama with everything else serving the needs of the plot.

Within the plot, guidelines must be followed to ensure a proper drama. He states that the events must follow an order without excesses or defects. The events have to be probable so that the drama doesn't become ridiculous. There are also certain situations that can be used as they are the only ones that produce the desired effect. For example, a good man who falls into misfortune through some error on his part would be tragic. Finally, Aristotle stresses that a tragedy must follow a certain rhythm and be of an appropriate length.

This use of drama as a morality tool can be seen throughout history from parables to the tragedies of Shakespeare that are still popular today, drama has been used to show how evil is the undoing of a person and reinforces the good of society. Taking drama outside of the theater setting and into the realm of television, I think it can be argued that the popularity of soap operas is due to the tragic nature of the storylines. They consistently use the formula of good people encountering misfortune due to the actions of others against then. When this happens, the good characters do evoke reactions of pity and fear from the viewers. In a subliminal way, the viewers do learn good morals as those who do watch soaps admit that they would never imitate the actions of the characters against anybody in the real world.