From: dakadldo2@gmail.com   
      
   I can't remember the particulars of what Greek philosophers said about how   
   philosophy and poetry are involved, but have the idea that in Plato's Dialogs   
   using Socrates as philosopher confronting critics, Socrates used his famous   
   questioning foremat to    
   cause philosophy proponents to agree with him.   
      
   But when it came to confronting a famous Greek author and player--I can't   
   remember his name--his opponent got into the way muses bestowed inspiration on   
   a few, called (I forget), who caused others to also get bemused; and   
   Socrates/Plato was agreeable    
   about this and didn't overturn the actor's argument on muses and poetic   
   inspiration.   
      
   Seems like there was lots of philosophy argued favoring reason and science,   
   instead of belief in muses and the gods, but the concept of poetry as an   
   approach to wisdom held on.  Plato's student, Aristotle, was great at science   
   and explaining how    
   evolution worked in terms of such causes as formal, final, efficient,   
   material, etc., and did a convincing job of applying such to biological and   
   other subjects.  In his work on Poetics, Aristotle describes how Greek Tragedy   
   achieved development to what    
   is evidently an ideal form.   
      
   Other philosophers, like the 2nd centuary Roman Boethius, in Consolation of   
   Philosophy, carried on a dialogue concerning the personal uses of philosophy   
   and poetry.  Interesting that Boethius uses a muse of poetry to help him sort   
   out his personal    
   philosophy, AIUI, and Boethius actually uses poetry by the muse for   
   enlightenment.   
      
   The article in Wikipedia, at    
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_causes#Aristotle's_"   
   four_causes"    
      
   provides a better description.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)