Not by signalling alone: Music's mosaicism undermines the search for a proper function

Anton Killin¹, Carl Brusse^{2

3}, Adrian Currie⁴, Ronald J Planer⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Philosophy and ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Acton, ACT2601, Australiaanton.killin@anu.edu.au.
² Department of Philosophy and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW2006, Australiacarl.brusse@sydney.edu.au.
³ School of Philosophy, Australian National University, Acton, ACT2601, Australia.
⁴ Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, University of Exeter, ExeterEX4 4RJ, UKa.currie@exeter.ac.uk.
⁵ School of Language and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria3010, Australiaronald.j.planer@outlook.com.

PMID: 34588033
DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X20001107

Comment

Not by signalling alone: Music's mosaicism undermines the search for a proper function

Anton Killin et al. Behav Brain Sci. 2021.

. 2021 Sep 30:44:e103.

doi: 10.1017/S0140525X20001107.

Authors

Anton Killin¹, Carl Brusse^{2

3}, Adrian Currie⁴, Ronald J Planer⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Philosophy and ARC Centre of Excellence for the Dynamics of Language, Australian National University, Acton, ACT2601, Australiaanton.killin@anu.edu.au.
² Department of Philosophy and Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW2006, Australiacarl.brusse@sydney.edu.au.
³ School of Philosophy, Australian National University, Acton, ACT2601, Australia.
⁴ Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy, University of Exeter, ExeterEX4 4RJ, UKa.currie@exeter.ac.uk.
⁵ School of Language and Linguistics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria3010, Australiaronald.j.planer@outlook.com.

PMID: 34588033
DOI: 10.1017/S0140525X20001107

Abstract

Mehr et al. seek to explain music's evolution in terms of a unitary proper function - signalling cooperative intent - which they cash out in two guises, coalition signalling and (allo)parental attention signalling. Although we recognize the role signalling almost certainly played in the evolution of music, we reject "ultimate" causal explanations which focus on a unidirectional, narrow range of causal factors.

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Toward a productive evolutionary understanding of music.
Mehr SA, Krasnow MM, Bryant GA, Hagen EH. Mehr SA, et al. Behav Brain Sci. 2021 Sep 30;44:e122. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X21000030. Behav Brain Sci. 2021. PMID: 34588071 Free PMC article.

Comment on

Music as a coevolved system for social bonding.
Savage PE, Loui P, Tarr B, Schachner A, Glowacki L, Mithen S, Fitch WT. Savage PE, et al. Behav Brain Sci. 2020 Aug 20;44:e59. doi: 10.1017/S0140525X20000333. Behav Brain Sci. 2020. PMID: 32814608

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Not by signalling alone: Music's mosaicism undermines the search for a proper function

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Not by signalling alone: Music's mosaicism undermines the search for a proper function

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