Exploring the transcendence in music and its relation to secularization. The connection between music and belief in God, examining the perspectives of naturalism and theism. The significance of music in creating the world and the contrasting perspectives on music between a naturalistic and theistic worldview.
Music evokes a sense of transcendence in both believers and non-believers, recognized by philosophers.
Theistic framework provides a satisfying explanation for the emotions and significance evoked by music.
Deep dives
The Feeling of Transcendence in Music
Listening to beautiful music often evokes a sense of transcendence in many individuals. This experience is not limited to believers in a higher power; even non-believers can relate to these feelings. The significance and beauty of music are recognized by philosophers, who try to explain this phenomenon. Charles Taylor notes that pre-modern cultures had more contextual frameworks for understanding transcendence in music, while modern society can feel a sense of emptiness and mystery. Julian Barnes, an agnostic, describes missing the context and significant meaning that religion provided while appreciating the arts and music. Music has even led some individuals, like Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs, to contemplate the existence of a divine being.
Explaining Transcendence in Music: Naturalism Perspective
One explanation for the feelings of transcendence in music comes from a naturalistic worldview. Naturalism asserts that there is nothing beyond physical nature. According to this perspective, music and its associated transcendence are accidental byproducts of evolution. Theories within evolutionary psychology suggest that our love for music stems from pattern recognition and its similarity to speech. However, if this view is correct, it implies that the power and significance of music are arbitrary and illusory, which can be disheartening.
Explaining Transcendence in Music: Theistic Perspective
An alternative perspective for understanding transcendence in music is rooted in a theistic worldview. In this view, music is seen as a form of communication and revelation from a creator deity. The Christian tradition, for instance, has long associated music with language. Some Church Fathers and Christian writers, like Thomas Aquinas and J.R.R. Tolkien, considered music as integral to creation, often referring to the starry hosts singing for joy. From this theistic standpoint, music serves as a clue or window into the existence of a greater reality, suggesting a more satisfying framework for interpreting the experience of transcendence in music.
Gavin Ortlund—writer and pastor at First Baptist Church of Ojai (California)—ponders the question, why do we feel a sense of transcendence when we listen to beautiful music? Where does that feeling come from? What's the best explanation for it? Ortlund compares the naturalistic and theistic answers to these questions, ultimately concluding that music is not a distraction from reality but a window into reality—and that the theistic framework gives a much more satisfying explanation for why it moves us emotionally.
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