Can music be good and evil?

I have heard that there is "dark" music. Music that causes bad things to come out in ppl. Chords that stuck a wrong note in ppl as such. I always just thought it was hogwash but I don't know maybe it is some truth there somewhere? What does everyone think. I tell you what OlderWaterBrother I'll copy this into a new thread so everyone can comment over in the random thoughts forum.

 

I dont believe in straight up good and evil. That said, everyone is influenced by different things that make strike a nerve or memory....but I do think alot of music tat exists builds up the wrong mindset in others. With most popular music, the lyrics tend to be superficial advertisements, and the music tends to be extremely packaged, so I do think that music has an amazingly wide field to project negative intentions.

 

I get depressed of some types of music, you can call that evil lol.

 

the only evil is to knowingly cause avoidable suffering. there is no such thing as BEING evil.

there is this to say about that however. where there is a lack of diversity, if all anyone is ever exposed to is only one or a very few ways, then those are the only ways they will know to deal with unfamiliar situations when they arise. this is the problem with any glorification of violence, aggressiveness, belligerance, fanatacism, prejudice, and so on, all that sort of thing.

a child raised on war movies, who doesn't get, or isn't allowed sufficient alternatatives, will like have an inclination toward violent and aggressive nonsolutions. NOT because he was exposed to these things, but only if and because he was exposed to nothing else.

that is why the idea of protecting anyone by censorship, and thus limiting and reducing diversity, is exactly ass backwards.

idiots driving arround the neighborhood forcing aggressiveness romatacizing 'entertainment' on everyone else, ARE doing an 'evil' thing, by forcing this on others, and possibly by doing so, denying many people of alternative and far more bennificial thoughts, dreams and perspectives.

=^^=
.../\...

 

Like Cate said i don't think there is a true definition of good and evil, but in the typical sense many people believe so..

Im not sure wether you'd say suicide was evil but heres one link to a suposed 'suicide song':

http://www.phespirit.info/gloomysunday/

And another song by Judas Priest:

http://www.totse.com/en/ego/can_you_dance_to_it/jud-prst.html

And then Stairway to heaven played backwards which is obviously a load of rubbish.. but still weird:

http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

As for music changing the way people act i think it definetly has an impact. If you want to believe in evil then i'd say that people are often caused to do 'evil' things because of music. Or at least the music can be held slightly responsible because it is such an emotional art form and people listen to it to change their mood all the time.

 

Interesting.

Regardless of whether or not there exists some form of objective evil or good, the preconditions in the brain dispose us to react to certain stimuli differently.

Seeing a horrific car crash, for example may cause some people nightmares for the rest of their lives. Others may walk away without a second thought.

After a breakup, hearing certain songs may strike emotional chords in some people, causing depressed moods, nostalgic moods, etc. Others may never feel this connection with certain songs.

Is it that far of a stretch to suppose that certain chord progressions may incite a sense of aggression in some but not others?

Of course they may, however the car crash and the heart wrenching song are nothing more than perceptible things, never to be in and of themselves explicitly blamed for the reactions they have within an individual brain.

 

I don't believe in evil.

Of course, people are likely to find music that resonates with them. So someone with a darker nature may be more likely to listen to the sort of music with darker vibes.

I am however, a passionate dark creature who listens to Coldplay. Riddle me that?

 

Good and bad, these terms are only made up because the human brain somehow needs duality.

 

Yep, good cannot exist without bad. You cannot know good without having bad. They are evaluative terms which depend on contrast for their meaning.

So in the end duality is just an illusion.

 

The Beatles made Charles Manson kill people. They must be pretty bad.

 

Way to take one branch of philosophical thought and spout it as truth.

 

It seems that all this talk about good and evil is a little off topic and the nature of music is the subject. With that in mind, If music is magic and has the power to move men's minds can it be used to heal the world?

 

No, i dont think so.

 

To Ms. Oh!,
I guess my earlier statement is a little ambiguous so I was wondering if by your reply you meant that the talk about good and evil was not off topic or that you thought that music was not capable of helping to heal the world?
Just wondering.

 

There isn't line for "Good" or "Evil" there is only things and other things. For example did Nazis think theyre "bad guys"?

 

I know that music could be dangerous to some mentally disturbed people, but thats not the music's fault

 

Well. I know plenty of music specifically designed to drive you into depression/insanity and suicide, music expounding national-socialist ideaologies, and music calling for the destruction of christianity, as well as music obsessed with rape and torture.

I'm not so fond of all the 'good vs. evil' stuff, but there is certainly very dark, negative music around and I like some of it a lot.

 

I'm not sure if that is a very accurate statement.

What else's fault could it be?

 

Well.. I guess the disturbed person should stay away from it if its going affect him/her in a bad way

On the other hand, I know alot of people who listen to that kill , rape and torture music and they're perfectly normal people (as a matter of fact I used to be a fan of doom/death metal)

 

In your eyes "disturbed" people should not have the freedom to listen to whatever music they like?