I was recently involved in a whiskey fueled discussion about how intention shapes art. More specifically the discussion hinged on the question…

Without intent can art exist?

My answer was of course it can. When Kodak invented super glue they were trying to create plastic. The found out that they created glue. Then they discovered that this glue could be used in hospitals to stop bleeding and close wounds, amazing stuff really. Anyway how would you classify super glue? Is it a glue even though the intent was to create a plastic? I say yes. Is it a medical supply because it is effective at that purpose? I say yes again. Is it a plastic because that is what the intent was? I would say no, it is not an effective plastic. In this example intent has very little effect on our classification of something.

So how can I relate this to music?