Do you think that a person can truly appreciate something without fully understanding it?
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: I don’t believe in “true” appreciation of aesthetic or cultural artifacts as being distinct either practically or metaphysically from whatever other kinds of appreciation or quasi-appreciation there are.
Long answer: I certainly do consider some basic literacy in music theory or music history to be part of a good education, just because it is a major cultural product that nearly everyone consumes a lot of. In the course of receiving that education, some people will find that it enhances their enjoyment of music. (Some don’t, though! And they always make sure to tell me about it! Including on my course evaluations!) People who are in favor of that kind of knowledge-enhanced enjoyment tend to elevate it with the prestige term “appreciation.” The thing is, though, that people’s aesthetic experiences and reasons for liking music and personal uses of music vary a lot. Since liking music in whatever way and for whatever reason really doesn’t involve holding factual beliefs, I’m at a loss to see what good I’d be doing by going up to some guy who likes music and telling him that he’s right to like it but that he likes it for the wrong reasons.
About as far as I’d go is to say that, since pleasure is good, most people should consider learning more about music to see if it enhances their pleasure in it. If it does, great. If it doesn’t, they should stop. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.
Short answer: yes.
Longer answer: I don’t believe in “true” appreciation of aesthetic or cultural artifacts as being distinct either practically or metaphysically from whatever other kinds of appreciation or quasi-appreciation there are.
Long answer: I certainly do consider some basic literacy in music theory or music history to be part of a good education, just because it is a major cultural product that nearly everyone consumes a lot of. In the course of receiving that education, some people will find that it enhances their enjoyment of music. (Some don’t, though! And they always make sure to tell me about it! Including on my course evaluations!) People who are in favor of that kind of knowledge-enhanced enjoyment tend to elevate it with the prestige term “appreciation.” The thing is, though, that people’s aesthetic experiences and reasons for liking music and personal uses of music vary a lot. Since liking music in whatever way and for whatever reason really doesn’t involve holding factual beliefs, I’m at a loss to see what good I’d be doing by going up to some guy who likes music and telling him that he’s right to like it but that he likes it for the wrong reasons.
About as far as I’d go is to say that, since pleasure is good, most people should consider learning more about music to see if it enhances their pleasure in it. If it does, great. If it doesn’t, they should stop. It’s not a one-size-fits-all situation.