Plato found tragedy antithetical to philosophy, claiming that it nourishes an irrational part of the soul which takes pleasure in empathizing with fierce emotions. Indeed, only by opposing tragedy's pre-eminence, and its claim to provide a comprehensive ethical education, could Plato establish philosophy's claim to be uniquely concerned with truth and the good. Aristotle, in response, saw tragedy as a representation of universal truths which engages our pity and fear in a beneficial way. Of later views, Nietzsche's is the most well known.
Tragedy continues to fascinate philosophers interested in aesthetics and moral psychology.
Bibliography Aristotle, Poetics . The Oxford Companion to Philosophy 5. All rights reserved.