A soldier telling a story from experience is a soldier artist. If Plato's point is that knowledge can only be derived through direct experience, then one must

A soldier telling a story from experience is a soldier artist. If Plato's point is that knowledge can only be derived through direct experience, then one must endure war to know what war looks like. If there is any value to be derived from the experiences of others, either through descriptions or related empathetic resonances, then those are dependent on communication and storytelling, and now we're in the realm of being effective at putting your reality into another's mind, and that is art. The authority or accuracy of your message doesn't negate that fact, and is entirely down to the individual in the receiving end in any case. Funny to hear a philosopher, whose entire domain is abstract thought and whose power and relationship to the world is through the art of communication, be so petty. Maybe that quote has more context?