As scientists continue to warn us we are currently living in a time of planetary environmental collapse. Many scientists have even proposed the name ‘Anthropocene’ to designate the singular character of our age in which human activities have so radically destabilized the environment on which we depend. In the wake of growing awareness of the ecological catastrophe a growing tide of necessary ecological activism has sprung up, especially among the younger generation who have inherited the grim future it portends–especially as projections from the historically conservative IPCC warn it is only with ambitious changes that we can limit global temperature rise in the next two decades to 1.5 degrees celsius. 

The ecological movements which have sprung up in response are often focused on verbal slogans and rational arguments. This is not only understandable but also necessary, as the rational side of the debate is one which is extremely crucial. Yet, in focusing energy only on the rational, it seems to me that often there is often no space allotted to music in these movements. It is not that music is maligned; rather it is simply ignored. However, in neglecting the role that music can have, a vital resource seems to be being neglected. Music, no doubt, cannot be the only component of an ecological movement, nonetheless it seems to be a vitally necessary supplement which should not be overlooked.

Music has long had the role of moving people on a level deeper than that of rationality. In his seminal work, The Birth of Tragedy, Friedrich Nietzsche famously observed of music that it has, what he calls, a Dionysian power. By that he meant that it has the ability to move us in a way which is beyond the personal. For Nietzsche there are forces which create form and which organize–which he called Apollonian–and there are those which promote dissolution–the Dionysian. The ancient Greeks, from whence the names were inspired, had their festivals of Dionysus where the dithyrambic rhythms of the revelers would inspire experiences of a dissolution of self into a collective whole. 

Nietzche believed that both the Apollonian and Dionysian were required for any creative movement forward, for neither simple organization nor simple dissolution is sufficient. Yet he posited that in everyday life it is perhaps too easy for us to stay comfortably within forces of organization–and, worse, to do this in such a way that they congeal. Everything in the structure of our lives from our relations with society to our personal habits work to disguise the veritable effort which is required to keep up our personal individuation, to continuously draw and redraw the boundaries from which my self is to be split off and divided from the primordial force of life in which we all participate and depend. Music’s privileged place in Nietzsche’s philosophy comes from the fact that it has the ability to disrupt these rational bounds of personalization. Great music, he said, can inspire in us a feeling of being part of a transindividual force of life.

It is music’s ability to move people in this pre-rational manner that makes me believe in its power, and its necessary place in today’s ecological movement. A major cause of the environmental emergency is unchecked capitalism’s tendency to encourage egocentrism and to say that personal selfishness will result in a greater good. Market based solutions such as carbon taxes attempt to fix the problem caused by individualism within the same framework, yet multiple experts from the IPCC to the IMF say that this is not enough. Despite carbon taxes being implemented in multiple countries the rate of emissions continues to rise. Though I believe that market based solutions are necessary and helpful, yet there seems to be a need to inspire a greater change in our collective ethos such as to cultivate a less narrowly individualistic view of life. 

Individualism can be limited in scope, as it is in each person’s interest to care for the environment that sustains us and enables us to thrive. Music has the power to challenge our narrow personal perspectives and connect us to a greater life force. It plays a crucial role in promoting ecological awareness by fostering an emotional connection to trans-individual, ecological relationships that are crucial to our individual well-being.

The music which can spur on this ecological sensibility need not be only that which has been written in the Anthropocene. The Romantic era in music provides numerous examples of compositions that evoke love and admiration for the natural world.Romanticists such as Chopin and Brahms knew that music had the power to rouse deep affects in us which remind us of the splendor and awe of nature–cultivating a pre-rational affectual attachment with the earth. In contemporary times, the music of Peter Glass has been used in Koyaanisquatsi, a film about ecological balance. Glass’ music is full of dissonance and transcendent harmonies which can evoke a sense of the delicate beauty and fragility of the natural world.

In conclusion, while the rational arguments and slogans of the ecological movement are important, they should not be the only focus. Music has the unique ability to touch people on a deeper, more emotional level and to cultivate an affectual attachment to the earth. This can be achieved through both historical and contemporary pieces, reminding us of the majesty and importance of our environment. For all too often that which we purport to rationally believe in our head is more difficult to completely embrace with our deep in our entrails and our heart, stymying the degree to which we respond with sufficient scope. Integrating music into the ecological movement can help to inspire a sensibility which embraces a more holistic, less narrowly individualistic view of life and encourages a greater collective ethos for the protection of our planet.