What if music was unique to planet Earth?

This is a theory that I heard/read quite a few years ago. I find this theory to be a very useful thought experiment at the very least.The theory was: Humanity was the only species to use sound for the sole purpose of enjoyment(music) and that a few/many highly advanced civilizations have decided to visit our planet to study the concept. Any thoughts/ideas?

reply to post by TheWetCoast


So far as we know it is.

I very much doubt music is unique to planet earth. It just doesn't make logical sense.

reply to post by TheWetCoast


Music is simply vibration. Without vibration the universe would likely not exist. I would assume music is everywhere possible.

I highly doubt we are the only civilization to use pitches and tones for pleasure. We might have a unique type of music, and unique instruments used to make music, but it would be foolish to think we're the only ones who bothered to make collections of sounds to listen to.

Originally posted by Just Chris
I very much doubt music is unique to planet earth. It just doesn't make logical sense.

Would aliens even have ears?Another life form might not need ears or could experience sound in a different way.

Remember "The Five Tones" from Close Encounters Of The Third Kind?

If aliens don't dig music they aren't welcome here.

I think the question that we should first ask in this scenario is are we the only species on Planet Earth that enjoys or creates music, then you have your step to answering the question.

Originally posted by TheWetCoast
This is a theory that I heard/read quite a few years ago. I find this theory to be a very useful thought experiment at the very least.The theory was: Humanity was the only species to use sound for the sole purpose of enjoyment(music) and that a few/many highly advanced civilizations have decided to visit our planet to study the concept. Any thoughts/ideas?

i dont think theyd be any strangers to music. but they would probably be using their musical instruments to control their spaceships rather than just jumping around a stage.. lol

Originally posted by Nyiah
I highly doubt we are the only civilization to use pitches and tones for pleasure. We might have a unique type of music, and unique instruments used to make music, but it would be foolish to think we're the only ones who bothered to make collections of sounds to listen to.

Please do not forget the"if" and"was" parts of my question. A good thought experiment require us all to think "outside the box"; so please don't hold back(and try to have fun).

reply to post by TheWetCoast


Interesting topic. Who's to say that aliens find music as pleasing as we do. They could possibly perceive shapes, colors, and pulses of light in the same way we find music - pleasant. (Raves and discos aside).

Maybe a race of blind, sonar using species find smells similar.

music is sound and vibration- universal constants. It would naturally exist everywhere

Originally posted by aoxomoxoa
music is sound and vibration- universal constants. It would naturally exist everywhere

But would another intelligent species use it as a form of entertainment?

Originally posted by TheWetCoast

Originally posted by aoxomoxoa
music is sound and vibration- universal constants. It would naturally exist everywhere

But would another intelligent species use it as a form of entertainment?

Maybe, maybe not.

Can you give me reasons why they wouldn't?

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by TheWetCoast

Originally posted by aoxomoxoa
music is sound and vibration- universal constants. It would naturally exist everywhere

But would another intelligent species use it as a form of entertainment?

Maybe, maybe not.

Can you give me reasons why they wouldn't?

I believe I already have. I suggest that you let the idea float around in your thoughts for a while.

They LOVE music.

And strawberry ice cream apparently...

This broadcast also included the first known mention of Area 51 on television; also known as the "strawberry ice cream show" in reference to the informants' remark that a captured EBE enjoyed strawberry ice cream and Tibetan music.
en.wikipedia.org...

its not. Very very very much not. Even the planets sing their songs. And music is everywhere, along with opera singers.

Originally posted by TheWetCoast
This is a theory that I heard/read quite a few years ago. I find this theory to be a very useful thought experiment at the very least.The theory was: Humanity was the only species to use sound for the sole purpose of enjoyment(music) and that a few/many highly advanced civilizations have decided to visit our planet to study the concept. Any thoughts/ideas?

Hmm so who is the theorist, and what did they hope to gain by such a conclusion, did they have another species to test out their theory on. seems like a totally ridiculous claim by someone who has nothing constructive to study, its idiotic by its nature alone... and who or what is going to contradict such a statment... we have no way to approve or disprove such a claim and certainly at this point in time it has no relevance of any importance to anything...

Originally posted by TheWetCoast

Originally posted by Soylent Green Is People

Originally posted by TheWetCoast

Originally posted by aoxomoxoa
music is sound and vibration- universal constants. It would naturally exist everywhere

But would another intelligent species use it as a form of entertainment?

Maybe, maybe not.

Can you give me reasons why they wouldn't?

I believe I already have. I suggest that you let the idea float around in your thoughts for a while.

The only reason you gave is that perhaps they do not have ears. Sound vibrations can be detected other way besides ears, so even if they don't have ears like ours, they may have some other method for detecting vibrations. If they do, then perhaps they also enjoy music...

...or maybe they don't have music; I have no way of knowing or not knowing.

HOWEVER. considering the size of the universe, I've always suspected that there are multiple other cases of intelligent life here and there in the universe, and it would seem very odd if we we that only ones with music. I mean, what necessarily makes us so special?

I can't really think of any reason that we would be the ONLY intelligent life that enjoys music.

Originally posted by flipflop

Originally posted by TheWetCoast
This is a theory that I heard/read quite a few years ago. I find this theory to be a very useful thought experiment at the very least.The theory was: Humanity was the only species to use sound for the sole purpose of enjoyment(music) and that a few/many highly advanced civilizations have decided to visit our planet to study the concept. Any thoughts/ideas?

Hmm so who is the theorist, and what did they hope to gain by such a conclusion, did they have another species to test out their theory on. seems like a totally ridiculous claim by someone who has nothing constructive to study, its idiotic by its nature alone... and who or what is going to contradict such a statment... we have no way to approve or disprove such a claim and certainly at this point in time it has no relevance of any importance to anything...

I think you missed the point of the QUESTION. A thought experiment starting with a "What IF" is not a statement of fact. If intelligent life is/has visited our planet the question is "why?".