Comments on: Plato Knew Music http://www.dunaber.com/2008/02/19/plato-knew-music/ by Michael Grey ... Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:17:54 +0000 hourly 1 By: mike http://www.dunaber.com/2008/02/19/plato-knew-music/comment-page-1/#comment-1253 mike Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:06:56 +0000 http://www.dunaber.com/2008/02/19/plato-knew-music/#comment-1253 Great and mostly interesting note, Jamsie! Me, you and Plato: a veritable triumverate of insightful poncitude. M Great and mostly interesting note, Jamsie! Me, you and Plato: a veritable triumverate of insightful poncitude. M

]]> By: jamsie an t-sealgair http://www.dunaber.com/2008/02/19/plato-knew-music/comment-page-1/#comment-1246 jamsie an t-sealgair Thu, 13 Mar 2008 15:37:14 +0000 http://www.dunaber.com/2008/02/19/plato-knew-music/#comment-1246 Plato believed music was important, but dangerous. He followed Pythagoras in thinking that there were ratios in music that corresponded to divine truths, and that exposure to these ratios could elevate the soul by changing its resonance. The danger, though, lay in the fact that the wrong kinds of music could cause ones soul to resonate in the wrong sort of way, thereby corrupting it and drawing one away from the truth and the good life. There is a lesson in this, I think, for all of us. If Plato is right about the power of music, and the dangers that power entails, shouldn't we all be a little more careful about the sorts of music we expose ourselves too? And given the volume and raw presence of the highland pipe, shouldn't pipers be particularly cautious? Should we really allow impressionable students to be exposed to 'Scratchy Fingers' or the 'Banjo Crackdown'? Should we be so cavalier about playing the 'Marine Song' on Parade? Should we not promote more 'Coppermill' and less 'Coppertone in Fergus', more of 'the Immigrant's Suite', and less of 'Brogue Covered Feet'? I think so. Something should be done. The PBSO, the RSPBA - someone should legislate something about this. We can't really afford to be wrong. Can we? Thank you for brining this to our attention Michael. I agree with you completely. Plato believed music was important, but dangerous. He followed Pythagoras in thinking that there were ratios in music that corresponded to divine truths, and that exposure to these ratios could elevate the soul by changing its resonance. The danger, though, lay in the fact that the wrong kinds of music could cause ones soul to resonate in the wrong sort of way, thereby corrupting it and drawing one away from the truth and the good life.

There is a lesson in this, I think, for all of us. If Plato is right about the power of music, and the dangers that power entails, shouldn’t we all be a little more careful about the sorts of music we expose ourselves too? And given the volume and raw presence of the highland pipe, shouldn’t pipers be particularly cautious? Should we really allow impressionable students to be exposed to ‘Scratchy Fingers’ or the ‘Banjo Crackdown’? Should we be so cavalier about playing the ‘Marine Song’ on Parade? Should we not promote more ‘Coppermill’ and less ‘Coppertone in Fergus’, more of ‘the Immigrant’s Suite’, and less of ‘Brogue Covered Feet’? I think so. Something should be done. The PBSO, the RSPBA – someone should legislate something about this. We can’t really afford to be wrong. Can we?

Thank you for brining this to our attention Michael. I agree with you completely.

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