Why Art? Why Music?
 

I love art and music but why do we have it? Is there a purpose? A function? Is it the manifestation of our soul? Is it God speaking to us? Aside from the commercial aspects, Humans seem to be the only animals that really pursue art and music for the fancy of it.

without music, life would be a mistake

-Nietzsche

I'm off to sit in with a friend's band and avoid mistakes...

I'll speak to the music side: Have you ever played in a band on a night where everything just clicks? Where the songs just seem to play themselves? It's pure magic. One of the best feelings in the world.

It doesn't even matter if an audience is there to hear it.

Learn a little bit about classical music and fine art, get laid.

Fancy that.

I am not an anthropologist . . . but the appreciation/recognition of rhythm seems to be buried deep in our genome. Maybe it was an early gathering call that signaled the security of group interaction. We heard rhythm. Got curious & swung down out of the tree to investigate. Instant party on the savanna.

Art is man’s stamp that he was there. A selfish expression. Or maybe just trail markings that got out of hand.

Ian

Art and music have the same function as non-procreative sex.

that's crazy talk! :p

Jeremy, I'm stealing that.

I know people that only listen to music, and I feel so sad for them. To me music is something you feel with every nerve ending in your body. On great songs, I can easily get lost for a while. When I listen to Sting's "Shape Of My Heart" it's like that. Dominic Miller's choice of fingering's, the sound of the guitar, the flow of the song just mesmerizes me. Big Head Todd's solo in "Bittersweet" is the same way. It's not a technical solo, but you can feel the man's soul in every note.

It makes me sad that some people will never get to experience music that way.

You forgot to include driving fast. ;)

Simply put, yes.

I see the purpose for art and music, but "sports"? Not so much...

Without music, life would B flat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGSzeHKgHfI&feature=related

Sports are performance art.

Without sports, life would be warfare.

Sports are competitive, art is expressive.

I listen to music all the time. I hate silence. I am too lazy to learn how to play an instrument. I tried a few times in school and things that were easy for the musically inclined were impossible for me.

Every brain is wired differently. Mine is not wired to play music, but I like to listen to it.

I can appreciate good art, but almost all of Picasso’s work is just like RAP music, pure junk. But that is just my opinion. Picasso’s art is considered valuable and RAP makes a lot of people rich. I don’t understand that at all.

I can’t make art anymore than I can make music. But I know what is good and what is bad. Just don’t subject me to bad art or music and we can all be happy.

Art serves no useful purpose and has no value whatsoever except it makes some people feel better.
Helps them get by.

Sports are a practice for battle.
nothing more, nothing less.

Those who play sports and learn strength through practice battle at least have a chance to defend themselves and fight back when faced with a foe, as opposed to art and music lovers who will roll up into a victim ball.

They love art in france. ;)

I love music, just this past weekend, I saw Great White and went to Ozzfest to see Zach Wylde Rob Halford, Motley Crue and Ozzy. Although my music preference may be quite narrow, I understand that a love of music is important as music transcends language music can universally express emotion regardless of nationality or origin. (I still make fun of people for listening to terrible music)

I play guitar and I play with my band when it clicks it's great but when it doesn't it just feels like we are all doing our own thing and it doesn't sound very good....

Some studies have shown the early practicing of music to be a positive catalyst for a mathmentics career, somehow.

That's very true for the slow-witted and/or poorly educated and culturally deprived.

Sports, on the other hand, can be appreciated and enjoyed by everyone (and are a central focus in the lives of many of the former, who see sports as training for survival in the world of the brighter, better bred and educated, who are seen by them to be threats to their narrow-minded well being. It's very sad).