Bernard Chasan writes:

>Example: my evil twin Smernard (Professor Emeritus of
>Misanthropy) maintains that music is in the final analysis simple a
>gemisch of sound waves impinging on your ears - how in the world can
>that convey emotion or the price of cream cheese for that matter?
>
>And, most absurd of all, how can music be deemed spiritual?  I think
>that he is wrong but I am having trouble convincing him.  Can anyone
>help me?  Or, for that matter help Smernard?  (He is after all, family.)

Well, to continue the example, a sunset is "merely" photons striking the
retina.  That's certainly no more spiritual than music.  I think it's
fair to say that music and sunsets inspire some to feelings of spirituality,
perhaps through conventions of art.  For example, we associate what's
called "chorale style" with religious music, so the symphonic passages
Bruckner writes in that style might trigger in some a bit of religious
feeling.

Steve Schwartz