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We live in a society

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obsessed with music.

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We use music to worship,

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tell stories,

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to celebrate,

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to work,

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exercise,

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declare our love

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and sometimes our hatred,

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and, arguably most importantly,

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to dance.

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And, of course, we play music ourselves

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because, well, it's a pleasant thing to do.

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Thousands of years ago 
in Ancient Greece,

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when it came to music,

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things weren't much different.

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They might have had lyres and tunics

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instead of MP3 players and jeans,

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but the Ancient Greeks 
were just as obsessed

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with music as we are today.

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In fact, music was such 
an important part

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of Ancient Greek society

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that it makes us seem 
tame by comparison.

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To really understand just 
how integral music was

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to the Ancient Greeks,

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let's begin by acquainting ourselves

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with a bit of their mythology.

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In Ancient Greek mythology,

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it was believed that human creativity

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was the result of divine inspiration

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from a group of goddesses 
known as the Muses.

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While scholars have argued 
over the years

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that there are anything 
between 3 and 13 Muses,

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the standard number accepted today is 9.

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Each Muse oversees her own specific area

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of artistic expertise,

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ranging from song and dance

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to history and astronomy.

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It might seem strange to categorize

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history and astronomy 
as creative pursuits,

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but the Ancient Greeks 
saw these disciplines

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as more than just school subjects.

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These were the hallmarks of civilization

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in what, to their eyes,

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was a pretty barbaric world.

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An educated, civilized person

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was expected to be proficient

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in all aspects of creative thought

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inspired by the Muses,

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and the common medium

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through which these 
disciplines were taught,

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studied,

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and disseminated

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was music.

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You see, it's no coincidence

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that the word Muse is very similar

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to the word music.

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It's where the word originates.

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Poetry, be it a love poem

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or an epic poem about 
a dragon-slaying hero,

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was sung with a musical accompaniment.

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Dancing and singing, obviously,

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were accompanied by music.

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Theater was always a combination

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of spoken word and music.

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History was recounted through song.

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Even the study of astronomy

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was linked to the same physical principles

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as musical harmony,

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such as the belief held 
by many Greek thinkers

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that each of the planets and stars

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created their own unique sound

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as they traveled through the cosmos,

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thrumming like 
an enormous guitar string

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light-years long.

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However, music pervaded 
more aspects of their lives

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than just education.

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Ancient Greeks considered music

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to be the basis for understanding

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the fundamental interconnectedness

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of all things in the universe.

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This concept of connectivity

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is known as harmonia,

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and it's where we get the word harmony.

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Music was used as a form of medicine

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to treat illnesses and physical complaints,

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as a vital accompaniment 
to sporting contests,

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and as a means to keep workers in time

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as they toiled away on 
monotonous or menial tasks.

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One of the most important applications

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of music in Ancient Greek society

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is found in the belief

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that music can affect a person's ethos.

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A word we still use today,

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ethos is a person's guiding beliefs

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or personal ethics,

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the way that one behaves

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towards oneself and others.

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The Greek philosopher Plato,

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one of the most famous

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and influential Greek 
thinkers of the time,

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asserted that music had a direct effect

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on a person's ethos.

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Certain kinds of music

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could incite a person to violence

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while others could placate a person

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into a benign, unthinking stupor.

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According to Plato,

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only very specific types of music

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were beneficial to a person's ethos.

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One should only listen to music

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that promotes intelligence,

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self-discipline,

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and courage,

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and all other kinds 
of music must be avoided.

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Furthermore, Plato fervently denounced

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any music that deviated

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from established musical conventions,

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fearing that doing so

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would lead to the degradation

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of the standards of civilization,

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the corruption of youth,

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and eventually complete 
and utter anarchy.

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While Plato's fears can seem extreme,

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this argument has appeared 
in modern times

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to condemn musical trends

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such as jazz or punk or rap.

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What do you think Plato would say

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about the music you listen to?

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Is it beneficial to your ethos,

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or will it degenerate you

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into a gibbering, amoral barbarian?