5 power and pleasure

19th century John Stuart Mill higher levels of pleasure examples

Higher pleasures: intellectual, moral, imaginative - human

19th century John Stuart Mill lower levels of pleasure examples

Lower pleasures: sensorial, physical - animals

what questions does John Stuart Mill’s levels of pleasure raise about music?

Is music a lower pleasure (sensorial and physically felt through vibrations), or a higher pleasure (stimulating thought and imagination) - links to question about whether sound is actually the brain waves (links to brain and thought), or is the vibrations (sensory, physical)

Perhaps some types of music are higher, some are lower - link to Adorno and popular music

how has the erotic been used negatively?

The erotic has been used to oppress women, with the superficially erotic being seen as a sign of female inferiority

^^ this has led "to the false belief that only by the suppression of the erotic within our lives and consciousness can women be truly strong"

what is the erotic often confused with?

The erotic is not to be confused with pornography (although it often is) - "Pornography emphasises sensation without feeling"

How do Beedi and her friends gain power?

Through the use of their sonic abilities - When engaging in a phone sex with a man in Dubai, they are able to reverse the sexual power dynamic, mocking him through fake, disinterested moans while they continue with household chores and daily tasks. Here their sound has given them power

Sufism

Sufism and its aesthetic practices can lead to religious ecstasy and transencance

what other musical example has been suggested to lead to transcendence (why)

Gospel music - evokes movement and creates trance-like states