Blog 10

Today in class we discussed seven common arguments that have been offered against music (or some kinds of music) on ethical grounds that I thought were very interesting. The Seven arguments we discussed consist of:
1) Music arouses passions that are harmful or difficult to control.
2) Music encourages the abandonment of reason.
3) Music lowers moral inhibitions.
4) Music excites sexual appetite.
5) Music glamorizes unethical causes.
6) Music encourages emotional support for a questionable status quo.
7) Music distracts from more important concerns.
These seven arguments fall into two different categories, which are Dionysian and Apollonian. Arguments 1-4 are considered to be Dionysian. This means it invites chaos and disruption in the conduct of erotic life. Arguments 5-7 are considered to be Apollonian, which means they argue that music fills conscious mind or encourages our assent to inappropriate ideas.