Nietzsche quipped that 'without music, life would be an error,' and lamented that philosophers have long tended to be tone-deaf with respect to 'the music of life.' Higgins agrees. Her conviction of the importance of taking music seriously as well as lovingly is palpable, and she makes an engaging case for the difference this can make both in our lives and in our thought.

Richard Schacht, University of Illinois

In The Music of Our Lives, Kathleen Higgins explores the connection between music and ethics. She challenges the obsession with musical scores and aesthetic formalism that has dominated much philosophical thought about music. Music's expressiveness heightens our emotional sensitivity and sense of shared delight. More generally, the manner in which music resolves tensions and reconciles diverse voices into a balanced, harmonious whole provides a dynamic model for thinking about and pursuing the good life. These important and provocative ideas are advanced by subtle, elegant arguments appealing to a diverse range of musical examples and a wide philosophical literature.

Stephen Davies, University of Auckland