Abstract
AbstractThe enterprise known as ‘natural theology’ has been at various times a conspicuous feature of the intellectual landscape of modernity. Recent years have witnessed a flurry of writing on the topic, some holding that the arts hold out great potential for natural theology today. This chapter interrogates the concepts of the ‘natural’ and ‘nature’ by attending to one of the most famous and informative debates in music history: that between Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683–1764), the leading composer of the French Enlightenment, and the philosopher and writer Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–78), both of whom appealed to the concept of ‘nature’ to ground their theory of music. The chapter concludes with comments on the roles that music might play in a theology that could legitimately call itself ‘natural’. Music is thus shown not only to provide a means of clarification but to open up a variety of fresh possibilities for the theologian.
Published Version
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