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Western High and Low Culture

Reader comment on item: You Need Beethoven to Modernize
in response to reader comment: Beethoven & MidEast Success

Submitted by Samuel Schwartz (Israel), Dec 28, 2005 at 08:45

Dear Dr. Pipes:

A few thoughts/questions:

1. Pipes' argument seems to be that in order for a non-Western nation to get the maximum benefit from Western technology/ideas it must whole-heartedly embrace elements of the Western value system. Acceptance of Western music is a proxy correlating with acceptance of the larger Western value system.

2. Commentators have noted that (some of) the 9-11 terrorists, French youth rioters and others have adopted Western cultural practices (music in particular). Dr. Pipes has noted that this adoption is of the "lower" Western culture and not "the essence of our cultural achievements." Does it follow that he believes that non-Western countries that accept low but not high Western culture, will be less successful in modernizing?

3. Did the terrorists of 9-11, 3-11 and 7-7, and the French youth rioters really embrace the Western (low) cultural values which they practiced? Theodore Dalrymple's article "The Suicide Bombers Among Us" hypothesizes that it is the very fact that European Muslims are ambivalent about their acceptance of lower Western culture, behavior and value systems that leads some of them to try and redeem themselves through shahada.

Best regards,


Sam

Submitting....

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Reader comments (15) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Inconsistency of Music [144 words]M ToveyDec 17, 2020 13:13262232
1For the first time, I disagree with you [46 words]SidNov 13, 2009 17:11164544
Chapeau! [50 words]Cynthia FarahatFeb 7, 2010 11:54164544
Beethoven's pigmentation [444 words]DannyApr 16, 2009 11:20153969
Music banned since Islamic Revolution [21 words]Death to IslamSep 30, 2007 11:32109963
3The man that hath no music in himself... [47 words]Steve MullanyDec 29, 2005 19:5230753
Both take western music too seriously [161 words]Steve MeikleDec 24, 2005 12:5930500
Beethoven & MidEast Success [274 words]H. ShamirDec 24, 2005 12:0530493
Western High and Low Culture [186 words]Samuel SchwartzDec 28, 2005 08:4530493
Polyphony and synchronization [166 words]Edward ChristieDec 20, 2005 09:1330238
Yep! [64 words]Bilbo BagginsMar 15, 2004 21:1314201
Discredited [54 words]AnonymousFeb 6, 2010 11:5614201
Western Music not really necessary for Modernity [687 words]Linas KondratasNov 27, 2002 04:424270
The key ingredient for modernity [209 words]AnonymousFeb 6, 2010 11:494270
psychological aspects of western art music, and a historical response to the 'free enterprise" nonsense [550 words]frankJun 6, 2011 15:054270

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