In this class, we inspect the overlapping domains of music, mysticism, and the pursuit of knowledge in Western cultural history. What do the beliefs and theories of the past tell us about our relationship to music? What does music tell us about being human and of the world we inhabit? In an effort to answer these questions, we will be discussing topics ranging from psychoacoustics and fractals to celestial harmonies and birdsong, as well as listening to repertoire spanning from ancient Greek compositions to tracks by contemporary computational artists.