What makes music good?
There are many qualities that determine whether a given song is considered 'good' by one or more people, and obviously the designation is quite subjective. I'm sure many people have studied and thought about this from scientific, philosophical, and social points of view far more than I have, and perhaps I'll try to learn about some of those at some point. However, an idea just popped into my head and I wanted to get it written down before I forgot about it. I think the following makes sense, based on at least three minutes of semi-distracted consideration.
Part of what leads you to think a song is good is that having heard some portion of it, you feel you could have predicted what follows, but you didn't.
There must be many caveats I haven't yet thought about, and one or two issues that do seem obvious -- for example, a song's being too predictable is often what leads it to be boring. I think that's why it's important that you don't actually predict it, you only feel as if you could have after you've heard it.
An indifferent universe conspired to give me life
From a wonderful slide posted by @uksceptic:
I believe that when I die I shall rot, and nothing of my ego will survive. I love that my molecules will be consumed and my atoms will be recycled into endless forms. I am grateful that an indifferent universe conspired to give me life, and I believe that enjoying it is all the more important because my life will be short. I believe that should I be so vain as to wish a legacy that it will be in the behaviour of my children. Punishment, torture and blame are not part of my worldview, and do not inform my behaviour in this, the only realm.
@uksceptic attributes the slide to Adam Rutherford, in a presentation at The Amaz!ng Meeting London this past weekend. I don't know for sure, but suspect that the Adam Rutherford in question is this contributor to the Guardian. He also happens to be an editor at Nature and a host of various programmes on BBC radio and TV, according to his sidebar bio.
When I first read it Saturday morning, the paragraph resonated strongly with me. It still does on re-reading it now. My only concern with its content is with the reification of the universe in the phrasing "an indifferent universe conspired." This is a minor issue though, and I do believe it can be taken as a successful use of artistic license. Within the context of the paragraph as a whole, one can't help but read the deeper implied meaning that of course the universe in no way conspired to give life, nor in fact to do anything at all. In this sense, and this sense alone, it is nigh miraculous that any of us is here; we should each be grateful for the opportunity we have to live a life, but not assign any greater meaning to it than that we are alive.