Ethics and Music

Abstract

AbstractMany ethical issues related to the arts in general apply to music, but the focus in this chapter is on the specific aspects of music that give it ethical power for good or ill. After considering some of music’s physiological and psychological impacts, the author considers three ways in which it can contribute to moral education. Specifically, it can model good interpersonal interaction, help develop virtues useful to constructing good relationships, and provoke feelings of affinity that can motivate pro-social attitudes and dispositions. The musical mechanisms that encourage solidarity, however, can also be exploited for unethical projects. Although sometimes moral criticism is more aptly directed at texts and uses than at music itself, music tends to acquire associations that are hard to eliminate, and responses often reference the composite. To make morally responsible choices regarding music such associations should be considered, particularly those that link specific music with particular groups of people.