A Novel Methodology to Study the Propensity to Appreciate Music

Abstract

The scientific method may be of limited value when investigating topics such as religion, spirituality, or aesthetic matters. A novel, hybrid approach is described that uses a supported philosophical-deductive methodology. This involves seeking scientific evidence to corroborate or refute the "alternative" premise in each of a series of deductive arguments. To test this, the notion that musical appreciation is an innate gift was pitted first against the alternative that it is a learned phenomenon and, second, that music has survival value and could therefore be explained purely in terms of evolution theory. So far, research to date failed to fully confirm either of the alternative propositions, thus leaving open the possibility that the ability to appreciate music is an innate gift for our aesthetic pleasure. The proposed approach could encourage investigations that otherwise might falter at an early stage, due to the constraints of conventional scientific methodology.