Is Music an Evolutionary Adaptation?
DAVID HURON,
Corresponding Author
DAVID HURON
School of Music, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Address for correspondence: David Huron, Ph.D., School of Music, Ohio State University, 1866 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210. Voice: 614-688-4753; fax: 614-292-1102; [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorDAVID HURON,
Corresponding Author
DAVID HURON
School of Music, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
Address for correspondence: David Huron, Ph.D., School of Music, Ohio State University, 1866 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210. Voice: 614-688-4753; fax: 614-292-1102; [email protected].Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Abstract: In contemplating the function and origin of music, a number of scholars have considered whether music might be an evolutionary adaptation. This article reviews the basic arguments related to evolutionary claims for music. Although evolutionary theories about music remain wholly speculative, musical behaviors satisfy a number of basic conditions, which suggests that there is indeed merit in pursuing possible evolutionary accounts.
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