CFP: Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture: Philosophy and Music

The bond between philosophy and music marked the ancient origins of Western culture. According to the Pythagoreans, both music and philosophy expressed the rational order of the universe and participated in it. Also Socrates was mindful of this when he called philosophy “the greatest music”. Many modern philosophers also regarded music as a special or privileged domain. Schopenhauer claimed that it allowed us to grasp the Will, which he considered the ultimate metaphysical principle of being. Nietzsche, in turn, regarded music as the force able to invigorate bourgeois culture by bringing some wild, Dionysian element into it. Later on, Adorno ascribed a powerful critical potential to the atonal music of Schoenberg and his disciples which, according to him, exposed the contradictions of capitalist society.

In this forthcoming issue of Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture, we would like to inquire about the nature of the relation between music and philosophy in the present time. What do they have to offer to each other now? How can music be interpreted in philosophical terms? What philosophical questions need to be addressed by composers, performers and fans of music today? With so many musical styles, genres and individual pieces, can philosophy help evaluate individual works of music? What are the social and political ramifications of contemporary musical culture? Is there one such culture or many? How does music change in the wake of rapid technological transformations? Do the new ways of accessing music influence our ways of listening and perception?

We welcome contributions in the form of essays related to these topics and other issues concerning a broadly conceived philosophy of music.

Essays can be submitted by January 31st, 2019 to: [email protected]

The essays have to be previously unpublished and they cannot be under consideration for publication elsewhere. They should be prepared for a double-blind review process.