Music in Book VIII of Aristotle's Politics

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  • アリストテレス『政治学』第VIII巻の音楽論
  • アリストテレス「政治学」第8巻の音楽論
  • アリストテレス セイジガク ダイ 8カン ノ オンガクロン

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Book VIII of the Politics is generally regarded as practical treatise on music education In fact, though, it is a theoretical treatise on music in which Aristotle attaches importance to two essential powers that music has, i e <<pleasure>> and <<influence upon the manner of dealing with (ethos) of soul>> His consideration of the former is based on his other discussions of pleasure, and that of the latter, on his theory of imitation First, he divides the ends of music into (i) amusement, i e relaxation, (ii) education, and (iii) action m the leisure as ultimate end He then compares (i) with (iii), bringing into relief the characteristic of the pleasure contained in (iii) Furthermore, he speaks of (ii) as preparatory training for (iii), in an attempt to illustrate the essentials of this pleasure Subsequently, he defines <<the pleasure as produced by the nature>> (i e activity of the sound faculty of hearing) to be common to all men He then picks up that which is suitable for the education of <<the habit of dealing with (arete)>> (i e moral virtue non-individuated) from <<the influence upon the manner of dealing with of soul>> which is inseparably connected with that pleasure, and applies it to music education by introducing his theory of imitation-according to which there is an immediate resemblance between <<the manner of dealing with of soul>> and the mele which imitate them The task of music education is to habituate the young to be able to judge correctly the beautiful mele, by using words analogically to describe <<the manner of dealing with>> in the actions It is this analogy between their two uses that is the very point which has been overlooked by traditional interpretations Although the <<correct judgement>> is impossible without the activity of the faculty of hearing, it is no more its activity, but that of <<the habit of dealing with>> (moral virtue non-individuated) And the enjoyment on the correct judgement is nothing but the pleasure which perfects this activity , so that two sorts of pleasures are contained in the use of music for the leisure as the ultimate end Therefore, it may be said that Aristotle does not only approve of the pleasure in music such that it is so (i e pleasure as produced by the nature), but also prescribes the one such that it should be so (i e pleasure as perfecting the activity of <<the habit of dealing with>>, and suggests to us the horizon where a community of souls could be established in music

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