Philosophy International Journal (PhIJ)

ISSN: 2641-9130

Conceptual Paper

Philosophical Notes on Cognition and Music

Authors: Alić S*

DOI: 10.23880/phij-16000S1-002

Abstract

Returning to the matter of the cognitive dimension in music puts additional focus on the role of music as a medium. After 3 thousand years of experience, philosophical thought now has at its disposal a range of roles for both music and musicians. The variety of roles music has held throughout history highlights a certain universality in music. In this sense the philosophical and media issue in focus is the following: is music some sort of medium? If music is a sort of medium, further questions unfold: what is being mediated, by whom and with what purpose? Music is a mirror to the soul, but it also shapes it. Does music give shape or does it merely symbolize? What can we infer from order and mathematical precision in music? What is the relation between universal harmony and the harmony of music? This text aims to reach the spaces of the creation, impact and power of music as art, symbol and medium through the perspective of media-philosophical analysis.

Keywords: Philosophical thought; Cognition; Music

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