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Music, bonding, and human evolution: A critique

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 September 2021

Bjorn Merker Open the ORCID record for Bjorn Merker [Opens in a new window]
Bjorn Merker*
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Independent Scholar, SE-29194 Kristianstad, Sweden. bjornmerker@gmail.com
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Abstract

Savage et al. propose that music filled a hypothetical “bonding gap” in human sociality by Baldwinian gene-culture coevolution (or protracted cognitive niche construction). Both these stepping stones to an evolutionary account of the function and origin of music are problematic. They are scrutinized in this commentary, and an alternative is proposed.

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Open Peer Commentary
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Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 44 , 2021 , e83
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Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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