University of Mississippi eGrove Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2015 The Historical Impact Of Philosophical Naturalism On American Aesthetic Education: Bennett Reimer’s Philosophy Of Music Education As Aesthetic Education Jeremy Edwin Scarbrough University of Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd Part of the Music Education Commons Recommended Citation Scarbrough, Jeremy Edwin, "The Historical Impact Of Philosophical Naturalism On American Aesthetic Education: Bennett Reimer’s Philosophy Of Music Education As Aesthetic Education" (2015). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 706. https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/706 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE HISTORICAL IMPACT OF PHILOSOPHICAL NATURALISM ON AMERICAN AESTHETIC EDUCATION: BENNETT REIMER’S PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC EDUCATION AS AESTHETIC EDUCATION A Dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Music The University of Mississippi by JEREMY EDWIN SCARBROUGH June 2015 Copyright Jeremy Edwin Scarbrough 2015 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSTRACT Philosophical naturalism is the view that all of reality reduces to natural explanation. The resulting so-called fact-value split biases language against universal, objective values—where empirical observation is said to determine truth, while values are reduced to private emoting or socio-cultural human construction. This research questioned the definition of aesthetic value as determined by the music education as aesthetic education (MEAE) movement in the United States, and the justification of aesthetic education as a universally applicable and comprehensive approach to a course in general music/music appreciation. As the MEAE movement seems to have been largely defined by Bennett Reimer, his philosophy was assessed critically. This study investigated the historical impact of philosophical naturalism on aesthetic philosophy in general, and the potential impact of a fact-value-bias upon the value language of Bennett Reimer’s philosophy of aesthetic education in particular. It was determined that there was a noteworthy historical shift following the Enlightenment—i.e., the rise of aestheticism curiously coincided with the rise of philosophical naturalism. It was further determined that philosophical naturalism indeed seems to have influenced Bennett Reimer’s view of aesthetic value. It was concluded that non-naturalist positions must be allowed to vie in the classroom, if aesthetic education is to speak comprehensively of value. Some contemporary alternatives are suggested concerning the possibilities of what a more holistic approach to aesthetic education might look like, and it is posited that the most comprehensive and inclusive approach will be a ii dialogical approach that uses the arts to encourage students to think critically concerning questions at the heart of inquiry into the very nature of goodness and the meaning of beauty. Aesthetics, Music Education, Philosophical Naturalism, Fact/Value Split, Worldview, Theology iii The true order of going, or being led by another . is to begin from the beauties of earth and mount upwards for the sake of that other beauty, using these as steps only, and from one going on to two, and from two to all fair forms, and from fair forms to fair practices, and from fair practices to fair notions, until from fair notions he arrives at the notion of absolute beauty, and at last knows what the essence of beauty is. This . is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute. —Plato iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my dissertation committee for their guidance: Dr. Alan Spurgeon, Dr. Michael Gardiner, Dr. Robert Westmoreland, and Dr. Michael Worthy. I would especially like to thank Dr. Spurgeon. I contacted several universities seeking an institution where I could pursue my interdisciplinary research interests. While many of the universities I considered were too uncomfortable encouraging such interdisciplinary emphases, Dr. Spurgeon was very welcoming of my interests, and has been continually encouraging of my studies. I would also like to add a special word of appreciation for Dr. Westmoreland, as his Problems in Ethics course was one of the most enjoyable courses that I have had the pleasure of taking at Ole Miss. I want to thank the NAfME History SRIG for being so supportive of research that I have presented while formulating my ideas for this dissertation. Additionally, an essay taken from the third chapter of this study was invited for presentation at the 10th conference of the International Society for the Philosophy of Music Education held in June 2015, in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. I am grateful for the feedback that I received from ISPME, amidst the peer-reviewed selection process, as it has helped me to articulate my thoughts more clearly and carefully herein. I especially want to thank Estelle Jorgensen for encouraging my philosophical pursuit. She saw something special in my interests, and encouraged my professor in cultivating these interests. Her confidence is humbling. Similarly, I must thank Nancy Pearcey for encouraging my work. Few have understood my passion as she. I am grateful to Dr. Douglas Groothuis for his willingness to critique much of my work and help me to think through some of the toughest v issues addressed herein. I also thank Dr. Tim McGrew for his support and encouragement, and David McGrew for sharing several points of thoughtful inquiry. Thank you to the officers and members of the Ole Miss chapter of Ratio Christi for working to ensure that the University has an open forum of free inquiry concerning issues of pop culture, value pluralism, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Thank you Dr. Robert Stewart, as your investment in the apologetics program at NOBTS has been a great investment in my abilities as a philosopher. Dr. Jeffrey Riley, I must thank you especially, for working with me to design an independent study in the philosophy of ethics and the relationship between worldview studies, the fact/value split, and aesthetics. I am so thankful to my wife, Abigail, for having patience all these years, as I have pursued somewhat unusual interests across seemingly unrelated fields. I also extend my thanks to the support, prayers, and confidence of all my friends and family. Finally, as the great musical theologian, J.S. Bach understood, I must include: Jesu juva and Soli Deo gloria. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...............................................................................................................................ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................v CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................1 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE .........................................................................................3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS .............................................................................................4 METHODOLOGY..........................................................................................................4 DELIMITATIONS..........................................................................................................5 CHAPTER II: A REVIEW OF LITERATURE CONCERNING MEAE.....................................7 MUSIC EDUCATION, JUSTIFICATION, AND AESTHETIC PHILOSOPHY .............7 On the Justification of Aesthetic Education........................................................10 THE HISTORY OF THE MEAE MOVEMENT IN THE U.S. ......................................15 THE CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHICAL STALEMATE.......................................23 Bennett Reimer..................................................................................................23 David Elliott ......................................................................................................25 CHAPTER III: LITERATURE RELATING TO PHILOSOPHICAL NATURALISM.............30 PHILOSOPHICAL NATURALISM AND THE FACT-VALUE SPLIT .......................30 THE HISTORICAL REDUCTION OF BEAUTY.........................................................40 Aesthetic Inquiry and the Pre-Modern Dialogue.................................................43 The Fact-Value Split and Aesthetic Theory........................................................48 The Two Dogmas of Musical Modernism ..........................................................55 vii PHILOSOPHICAL NATURALISM, AESTHETIC THEORY, AND EDUCATION ....59 CHAPTER IV: REIMER’S AESTHETIC PHILOSOPHY.......................................................69 A 1970 PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC EDUCATION .......................................................70 REIMER 2.0 .................................................................................................................77 REIMER 3.0 .................................................................................................................83 Postmodernism and Synergism ..........................................................................84 Form, Reference, and Context............................................................................86 The Reason/Feeling Split