Q: The last but not least, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything” (Plato), would you like to connect this quote with Phase?

I am not familiar with the quote, as it’s not from one of the dialogues I’ve read, so I don’t know the context. But many philosophers would agree that music is an intristic good, as in it is good in and of itself. I think Plato was so full of himself that he projected himself on an idealised version of his mentor Socrates to the point that one could propose Socrates did not even exist, at least not in the light presented by Plato, being that irritating gadfly, having random inconclusive conversation with key people. Plato of course discusses all these deep ideas and presents the most interesting angles, but he appears to be struggling to take a preferred stance most of the time. Too indecisive for my liking, I wouldn’t let him pick a restaurant from fear of starving to death. We tend to use authorities to affirm our thoughts and actions. Not to mention that ‘Great Thinkers’ are being misquoted every single second on social networking sites!

Interviewer: Dana Tolea
Publication: jurnalrock.ro
Period: January 2013