Since Ancient Geek
philosophy, one of the most fundamental problems of the aesthetics has been the
relationship between ethics and aesthetics. At the beginning of the questions
that determine the nature of this relationship is the question of whether an
object which is subjected to the judgment of beauty should have an ethically
related content. Until modern times, this question has been answered to the
point that, an object which is subjected to the judgment of beauty must also
bear an ethical value. This answer states that in order to qualify an object or
thing as beautiful in aesthetic sense, it should be connected to the good in
ethical sense. From Ancient Greek philosophy to Islamic thought, we can clearly
see the ideas and theories about this close relationship between ethics and
aesthetics.
This study aims to reveal
the integrity between ethics and aesthetics in the philosophy of the al-Ikhwān
al-Ṣafāʾ, a group of philosophers living in
Basra and its environs during 4th/10th century, through
the art of music. For this purpose, it is discussed in this article how music
influences on human morality in their philosophy.
The relationship between music and morality could be
established in two ways in the philosophy of the al-Ikhwān: metaphysical and
physical ways. When they connect music to metaphysics, they argue that music is
a door to metaphysics, unlike the other arts. They refer to the strong effect of
music in the human soul when they compare it with the other arts. As an auditory art, music has a richness of meaning that
transcends the boundaries of the physical world and language. Through the sense
of sight, one knows only what is at his side, but through the sense of hearing he
may know the metaphysical truths that transcend time-space dimensions. As an art based on the sense of hearing, music can
convey metaphysical truths to the audience differently from the other arts
based on the sense of sight. Accordingly, music is a door for humans to direct them
to the metaphysical truths and to enrich their morality.
The al-Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ assert that music has a divine
and prophetic sources. These sources render it in relation to the wisdom. This thought about the source of the music also
provides an explanation of the legitimacy of music. In order to emphasize this
ground of legitimacy, they give some examples of usage of music used during
religious rituals. They also argue that music in these rituals enriches human’s
morality.
Another dimension as a metaphysical level for the
relation between music and ethics in the philosophy of the al-Ikhwān is the mathematical
basis of music. According
to them, mathematics is the first path to the discovery of divine wisdom. This is because God has created the world in a harmony
with the supreme proportions that describe the specific relation between the
world and the numbers. Music is an art that is located in mathematics and that
these supreme proportions could be obviously seen. Accordingly, music presents
definitively the truth, divine wisdom and secrets.
The al-Ikhwān argue
that music is similar and harmonious with the sounds that emerge from the
movements of stars and planets. The happiness in the celestial world where
there is no generation and corruption is reproduced by the artist in the world
of generation and corruption through music. Thus,
music increases the desire to rise to the celestial world. This desire is described by the al-Ikhwān as trying to resemble to God. This
description demonstrate that they evaluate the nature of music in a
metaphysical context. Consequently, performing music, according to them, creates
a result that redirects the human to the metaphysics. This
metaphysical redirection does not only have a theoretical dimension in the
sense that one acquires knowledge of the truth, but also has a practical
content in the act of human in the sense of the resemblance to God. This practical content concerns the moral development
of a person.
Regarding the relation between music and morality, the
al-Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ offer a physics-based explanation in addition to these
metaphysical bases. They argue that music creates psycho-physiological effects
on humans and that the melodies coming out of the strings of the lute influence
the four elements; blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm in the human body.
The background of this explication is the Hippocratic-Galician medical theory,
which has become widespread in the Islamic world since the ninth century. Within
this theory, they reveal that music influences the physical and psychological
states of human and that it can create permanent moral virtues such as courage,
generosity, chastity, and mercifulness.
Bu çalışma, IV/X. asırda Basra ve civarında bir
felsefe topluluğu olarak yaşamış olan İhvân-ı Safâ’nın felsefesinde etik ve estetik arasındaki
bütünlük ilişkisini müzik sanatı üzerinden ortaya koymayı amaçlar. Bu amaç
doğrultusunda makalede öncelikle, müziği diğer sanatlardan farklı kılan
özellikleri, müziğin kaynak ve gaye bakımından hikmetle olan ilişkisi, müziğin,
İhvân’ın hakikate ulaşmanın temel yolu olarak gördüğü matematiğe dayalı zemini
ve tanrısal sanatın doğrudan eseri olan semavi varlıklarla irtibatı ele
alınmıştır. İhvân’ın müziğe yüklediği bu metafizik anlam ve boyutlar, onların
düşüncesinde, söz konusu sanatı metafiziğe açılan bir kapı hâline getirmektedir.
Böylece müzik, bu sanatla meşgul olan kimselere söz konusu metafizik
hakikatlerin gerekli kıldığı belirli ahlaki erdemler kazandırmaktadır. Metafizik
hakikatlerin ahlaki sonuçlar doğurması fikrinin İhvân düşüncesindeki en
belirgin anlamı, sanatın insanı Yüce Sanatkâra benzemeye çalışmaya sevk etmesi
şeklinde ifade edilebilir. İhvân, metafizik bir çerçevede etikle estetik
arasında kurduğu bu ilişkiyi, müziğin insan üzerindeki psiko-fizyolojik
etkilerinin birtakım ahlaki sonuçlar doğurduğunu açıklayarak farklı bir düzlemde
sürdürür. Bu açıklamasında İhvân, Galenci tıp geleneğine dayanan insandaki dört
sıvı karışım (ahlât-ı erba‘a) teorisini müziğe uygular. Buna göre ud
enstrümanındaki tellerin çıkardığı sesler, dört karışımın oranlarına etki ederek
insanda cesaret, cömertlik, iffet ve yumuşak huyluluk gibi birtakım kalıcı
ahlaki erdemler meydana getirmektedir. Bu düşüncesiyle İhvân, müzik üzerinden
geliştirdiği etik ve estetik arasındaki bütünlük ilişkisini, metafizik bir
çerçevenin yanı sıra fizik bir zeminde de kurmuş olur.
Primary Language | Turkish |
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Journal Section | Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | October 31, 2018 |
Submission Date | May 29, 2018 |
Acceptance Date | September 13, 2018 |
Published in Issue | Year 2018 Volume: 2018 Issue: 36 |