Billions of people enjoy music; many feel that they can’t live without it.
Why?
It’s a question that has puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries: 2,400 years ago Aristotle wondered, “Why does music, being just sounds, remind us of the states of our soul?”
In the 19th century, Darwin tried to decipher if our ability to create music evolved by natural selection. Of all human faculties, only music seemed beyond understanding; flummoxed, he came to the conclusion that “music is the greatest mystery.”
More than 200 years ago, Kant declared music useless. And near the end of the 20th century, celebrated psychologist Steven Pinker—also unable to comprehend its purpose—called music “auditory cheesecake.”
