Self-study
Ullman: Plato argued that because of the harmful ways in which music can manipulate the emotions, societies need to put restrictions on the music their citizens hear. ████████ ███████ █████████ ████ ███ ██ ██████████ ███ ████████ ███ ██ ██████ ███████ ████ ████████ ██ ██████████
Summarize Argument: Counter-Position
Ullman concludes that Plato’s argument that music should be restricted because it can manipulate the emotions is misguided. He supports this by saying that musicians seek to create beauty, not to manipulate the emotions.
Identify and Describe Flaw
Ullman fails to consider the possibility that music can still manipulate the emotions, even though musicians simply seek to create beauty. In other words, just because musicians don’t intend to manipulate the emotions, doesn't mean that their music doesn’t do so. If it does manipulate the emotions, Plato’s argument might not be misguided.
1.
Ullman's argument is most vulnerable ██ █████████ ██ ███ ███████ ████ ██ █████ ██ ████████ ███ ███████████ ████
a
what musicians intend █████ █████ ██ ██ ███ ████ ██ ████████ ████ ███ █████████
Ullman implicitly assumes that music doesn’t manipulate the emotions, simply because musicians do not intend to manipulate the emotions. He overlooks the possibility that musicians’ intentions for their music might be different from the actual effects of their music.
b
those with the █████ ██ ██████ █████ █████ ███ ██████ █████ █████ ██ ██████████
Ullman doesn’t say anything about who has the power to censor music. Regardless, whether these people would censor other forms of expression is irrelevant. Ullman is only addressing the restriction of music.
c
there are other, ████ ██████████ █████████ ███ ████████ ███ ██████████ ██ █████
This is true, but it doesn't matter because Ullman is only addressing Plato’s argument for allowing the censorship of music. He concludes that Plato’s argument is misguided; whether other arguments are more convincing is irrelevant.
d
other forms of ███ ████ ████ █████████ ██ ██ ███████ ██ ███████ ████ █████ ███
Both Plato and Ullman are only addressing whether music manipulates the emotions and should be restricted. Whether other forms of art are more harmful than music is irrelevant.
e
artists who are ██████ ██ ██████████ ████████ ████████ ██ ███████ ████ ███ ███ ██████ ██ █████ ██
Even if some artists are trying to manipulate people’s emotions and don’t admit it, this wouldn’t affect Ullman’s argument. We have to accept his premise that “musicians seek not to manipulate the emotions but to create beauty.”