Thinky thoughts

[alliecat8]

I haven't posted since March. That's because music has become my life. Well, that and traveling but that was all about music, too, the Broadway shows...anyway, here goes:

Some cognitive scientists believe human response to music provides evidence that we are more than just flesh and blood - that we also have souls. Their thinking is as follows:

All reactions to external stimuli can be traced back to an evolutionary rational. You pull your hand away from fire to avoid physical harm. You get butterflies before an important speech because the adrenaline running through your veins has caused a physiological fight or flight response. But there is no evolutionary context within which people's response to music makes sense - the tapping of feet, the urge to sing along or to get up and dance, there's just no survival benefit to these activities. For this reason, some believe that our response to music is proof that there's more to us than just biological and physiological mechanics - that the only way to be moved by the spirit, so to speak, is to have one in the first place.

Thoughts?

Comments

[eponine119.livejournal.com]

Interesting.

But doesn't this classifying music as a stimulus actually disprove its point too? Any creature will respond to an external stimulus, soul or not. The evolutionary/survival instinct is tied to most of the responses they mention - voices, sound, movement.

I'm either the devil's advocate or I'm really dumb. Welcome back.

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I understand your argument. The writer was suggesting that music touches us in a place that nothing else does, and it has no self-preservational purpose - and so that space might be called "spirit." The quote comes from a book called Sing You Home and it's about a woman who goes to nursing homes and hospitals and plays her guitar and sings as someone dies. How many of us would like to go out of this world on a song?

I'm not backtalking, I just wanted to hear what y'all think. Thanks for playing. :)

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

I'm useles at D & M, but I adore music and all I can say is what would my life be without it? Hopelessly boring, I imagine. It's definitely good for the spirit and maybe that's the benefit as a human; who knows?

[alliecat8.livejournal.com]

Oh, poo, don't worry about saying anything profound if you don't wanna. That ^^^ camd from a book - nothing like that ever comes out of my own head.

I carry a bag to choir practice and voice lessons that says "music saves my soul." I was intrigued by the idea that the pleasure center in our minds where we receive the music we live by IS our soul.

My mom and I have been spring-cleaning my house for the last week, and we're exhausted and still not near finished, but I turned on the 50's & 60's station just for fun and we wound up shaking our pelvises to Jailhouse Rock. Then I just HAD to teach her the Hustle, the YMCA dance, and of course, what dance session would be complete without the Achey Breaky. OMG if my husband had snuck up on us he'd've whipped out his phone and videotaped it, and we'd be viral on youTube already, lol.

I owe you email. Right now my brain belongs totally to getting ready for Thing 1's wedding and related guests, but I haven't forgotten. <3333

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

Thanks, sweetie! Hee, I'm so pleased I'm not the only one who has to find things in books!

Yes, I'm sure the pleasure centre must be there; it makes so much sense!

Hee, love the thought of you and your mother dancing around as you cleaned!!!

No worries! I'm completely hopeless at keeping up too. Plus Thing 1 needs you more right now! A WEDDING - woohoo! ♥