Description and evaluating of Gadamer's anti-Platonic approach to mimesis

One of the oldest theories about the nature of art is the theory of "imitation". For the first time, Plato discussed the theoretical foundations of this theory from a philosophical point of view. What is central in the Platonic position regarding the nature of mimesis is the existential distance between the original and the copy. This approach has caused different reactions in the history of philosophy. In the contemporary era, Hans-Georg Gadamer has evaluated the issue of mimesis and the Platonic approach based on his philosophical hermeneutics. Contrary to Plato, he does not place the status of copy in a lower position compared to the original, rather, the copy itself can play the role of the original in terms of "increase in being". Based on this attitude, instead of measuring the copy based on the original, it is the copy that can transform our perspective about the original itself and even ourselves. According to this, the work of art, even if it is a copy of something, can still cause "recognition". In this article, while describing Gadamer's anti-Platonic position on the relationship between the original and the copy, we will evaluate his attitude and show that, despite his emphasis on the independent being of the copy, he sometimes unintentionally returns to the Platonic position.