Philosophical perspectives on music and emotion

This is a review of philosophical approaches to music and emotion for the forthcoming 3rd edition of the Oxford Handbook of Music and Emotion edited by Patrik Juslin. The chapter begins by outlining the distinctive ways that philosophers approach issues about music, including the ancient question of whether music has an ethical influence. It is argued that this ancient question requires that the connection between pure instrumental music and emotions is clarified. The chapter then reviews philosophical work on musical expressivity, identifying four key concepts- arousal, resemblance, imagination, and metaphor- as core to current debates (with the imagination view currently dominant). It then turns to issues about emotion induction or arousal, explaining why formalists are sceptical about arousal before examining the mechanisms of expectation and emotional contagion. Finally, the chapter reviews some of the ways that philosophers have further developed issues about music and emotion by considering theories of extended cognition, musical virtues, and the way that music can promote social cohesion. The attached file is the author's preprint.