A relação entre música e felicidade em Santo Agostinho

• Ano de defesa: 2019
• Autor(a) principal: Oliveira, Janduí Evangelista de
• Tipo de documento: Tese
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal da Paraíba; Brasil; Filosofia; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Filosofia; UFPB
• Palavras-chave em Português: Felicidade; Música; Agostinho; Happiness; Music; Augustine; CNPQ::CIENCIAS HUMANAS::FILOSOFIA
• Link de acesso: https://repositorio.ufpb.br/jspui/handle/123456789/18763

The employment of music in the pursuit of happiness is not the privilege of our time, in which the so-called music therapies are fashioned for the well-being of man in the face of the malaise of the complex postmodern society; contrary to what can be supposed, these two themes are present in the philosophical investigations from the birth of philosophy. In this way, in Athens are found the first apologies of the happiness dissociated from the sensible world and entirely related to the good life of the soul. At the same way, as a curricular component of Greek education, music played a major role, since its connections with other fields of knowledge far exceeded the common sense of what is usually understood by music, that is, as an audible phenomenon that can be perceived sensory. Nevertheless, despite being present in philosophical investigations since the origin of philosophy, music and happiness have always been treated in isolation, independently and practically without any connection. In view of this, there is the error of understanding music only as a product destined for the leisure, which implies the understanding of happiness disconnected from human interiority. This kind of approach to music and happiness as disjointed things has also spread through the Middle Ages, with some variations, as we will discuss below when discussing St. Augustine's thought. Therefore, we will present the main philosophical roots of the Greco-Roman thought that inspired Augustine and at the same time, expose their peculiarities regarding these issues. Thus, when we read what the Bishop of Hippo addressed in the general set of his work on music and happiness, it is worthy to note that he sought to avoid admitting what was, for him, a great misconception of the previous investigations that would be to defend that true happiness would depend exclusively on the personal effort of each, to the extent that to be happy it was enough to live only in conformity with reason. And on the other hand, Augustine avoided to limit the value of music only to the science of good modulation and therefore sought to moderate sensory pleasure in the light of spiritual pleasures. Thus, the music is elevated to a transcendent, supersensible enjoyment of human encounter point with the divine source of true happiness. Therefore, there is a convergence between music and happiness; since, if true happiness is in the reach of the Supreme Good, which is ultimately God, true music is that which favors the ascension to the Highest Good. Soon, the music sets a harmonious bridge between the sensitive beauty and the Supreme Beauty and Creator, the source of authentic happiness. However, the investigation of the influence of music on happiness is not easy, because, in our days, has intensified the unlimited supply and an unbridled search for happiness has intensified, as well as the production and consumption of music understood only as an element aimed at the human passions. For this reason, we argue that the habit of listening to good music contributes effectively to the achievement of happiness. Especially because the music we hear usually tends to represent important features of our personality, ideas and moral principles. With this, we hope to develop the sensitivity of our reader to create in him the habit of listening to music more carefully. First, because music is not a mere cluster of sounds; it has a rhythm and, at the same time, it has cohesion and harmony; it has a structure and depth of its own that can be put at the service of human happiness. In order to do so, it will be necessary to show, in fact, what happiness and music are for St. Augustine and then to work on the aspects that allow us to show the relationship between them.