ABSTRACT
Music today is ubiquitous, highly valued, multifaceted, and plays many different roles in many different social contexts. Unsurprisingly, then, an increasing number of researchers studying human cognition and evolution have raised questions about the evolutionary role and nature of music. Why did our ancestors spend time, energy, and resources on music, when they could have been performing activities more obviously linked to increases in fitness such as hunting, gathering, or stone tool production? Are music’s origins intertwined with the evolution of language, or mother–infant communication, or group vocal “grooming,” or sexual selection? Is music a biological adaptation? Is music innate? This chapter reflects on some of this fascinating interdisciplinary research from a philosophical perspective.
