I’m sorry, Elliot, but, while your suggestion is logical, it does not seem very plausible to me. I do not see how appreciation of Bach can boost my hunting abilities. A further mystery to me is how we are able to read complex emotions expressed by music. Often it can be easier to gauge the emotional context from the music than from the intonation of foreign speakers.

I also have some doubts concerning Eliezer’s theory on the beauty of flowers. If our appreciation of nature’s beauty has a hidden utilitarian purpose related to agriculture, why is it more often expressed by urban dwellers than by those who actually make a living out of land?

“Now healthy flowers are a sign of fertile land, likely to bear fruits and other treasures, and probably prey animals as well; so is it any wonder that humans evolved to be attracted to flowers? “

Eliezer, could you make a plausible rationalization of human attraction to music based on natural selection?

Great post btw.