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About the book
Does music improve human beings and their communities? Philosophers have examined that question over many years with great scepticism. Plato warned that music can bring about dangerous changes in society. Centuries later, Adorno pointed to the damaging power of jazz, which he believed made for tame citizens. Alicja Gescinska is convinced that music is more uplifting than it is pernicious. It can play an important part in our personal and moral development. We dwell too little on this nowadays. In schools there is hardly any room left for music, and in daily life we see it mainly as a source of relaxation, distraction or consolation. In her lucid essay, Gescinska demonstrates convincingly that music is more a foundation than an ornament to our existence. Music allows us to come home to ourselves and creates a dwelling place for us in the world.