Is there music out there that causes trouble? In the reading from Plato that we just did in class, he suggests that letting other people decide what kind of music they want to listen to, is not a good plan. He believes it should be left up to those who are more educated than the "rabble" of the masses, to decide what music is "good" for them. His ideas, and how he presents them are rather harsh, but not necessarily old-fashioned. There are two sides to the argument. Of course, there are those who say that we should all be free to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong for us. We don't want anything to step in and take away our choices. Leave us alone. There is another side that might argue, but what if certain things are bad for society as a whole? Don't we then have a right not to let society be hurt by the poor choices of those around us? What about my family?
If we are talking about an issue like murder, or theft, it is easy to see which side I fall on. I feel that these are definitely destructive behaviors, and hurt society as a whole, and the individuals involved in them. Can I say the same thing about musical interests? Is there "bad" music out there that can lead people to do "bad" things? I should take off the quotes around the word bad, because I am a very morally driven person. I mean to say that I believe there are definite right and wrong things. I do believe in God, and I believe that certain things can be looked on as universal truths. Bringing this back to music...some music could have been created by someone who had evil or wrong purposes in creating it. Music is the tool, but if the tool is attempting to do bad things all the time, then the tool can be bad. I think there are those who are trying to use music this way. Let me go back to the other group, the group of people that just want total freedom. No matter what I feel, I think it must be left up to others to decide for themselves what to do. Freedom of choice, even freedom to make bad choices, is the most important thing we have as human beings. So, I say to Plato, you might be right, the masses might choose to listen to music that will break down parts of society, but you can't stop them. If you force them to do the right thing, then they aren't really doing the right thing. You can try to warn, and teach, and help the rising generation.
Good insight; well expressed.
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