Music may be the activity that prepared our pre-human ancestors for speech communication and for the very cognitive, representational flexibility necessary to become humans.
Interpretation
Music played a crucial role in the evolution of human communication and cognitive abilities.
The quote by Daniel Levitin suggests that music is not merely an art form but a fundamental activity that might have been essential in the development of early human communication and complex thinking. By engaging with music, our ancestors could have honed their skills in speech and the cognitive flexibility required for more sophisticated forms of interaction, thus paving the way for what it means to be human.
In practice
In a lecture about the role of art in human development, one could use this quote to illustrate the significance of music in fostering communication.
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I never thought anyone would come up to me and say, 'I like 'Better Call Saul' better than 'Breaking Bad.'' If you had asked me before we started, 'Would that bother you if someone said that?' First of all, I would have said, 'That's never gonna happen. And yeah, it probably would bother me.' It doesn't bother me a bit. It tickles me. I love it.
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If somebody wants to sing my songs after I'm gone, nobody will be happier than my dead body.
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