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Comment
. 2021 Sep 30:44:e76.
doi: 10.1017/S0140525X20001314.

Against unitary theories of music evolution

Peter M C Harrison  1 , Madeleine Seale  2
Affiliations
Comment

Against unitary theories of music evolution

Peter M C Harrison et al. Behav Brain Sci. .

Abstract

Savage et al. and Mehr et al. provide well-substantiated arguments that the evolution of musicality was shaped by adaptive functions of social bonding and credible signalling. However, they are too quick to dismiss byproduct explanations of music evolution, and to present their theories as complete unitary accounts of the phenomenon.

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  • 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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