Miscellaneous Metaphysics Colloquium Series Presents: Professor Wesley Cray, "A Return to Musical Idealism"

Abstract: In disputes about the ontology of music, musical idealism—that is, the view that musical compositions are ideas—has proven to be rather unpopular. Here, I argue that, once we have a better grip on the ontology of ideas, we can formulate a version of musical idealism that is not only defensible, but quite plausible and attractive. I conclude that musical compositions are a particular kind of idea: they are completed ideas for musical manifestation.

Wesley Cray is a Visiting Assitant Professor at Grand Valley State Unversity.