Öffentliche Veranstaltung

Do Birds Truly Sing? Nature's Music Revisited

07. Mai 2024

Brain & Mind

Prof. Dr. Mark Hauber (Alumnus BRAIN & MIND), City University of New York, USA und Dr. Ulrike Sienknecht unter Beteiligung von Lisa Werhahn und Kana Sugimura

Are Nature’s sounds truly musical? Do birds really sing? These questions may seem rhetorical at first, but a deeper, both scientific and philosophical examination, reveals a far more complex set of responses than a simple yes or no. For example, natural sounds include both biologically active (bird calls, mammal roars, honeybee buzzes) and incidental (windswept leaves, crashing waves) sounds, some of which are intentional (calls) while others are side effects (buzzing wings). In contrast, human music is always intentional and often pre-composed. Here we examine, using an interdisciplinary approach through biology, natural philosophy and human-made music, some of the potential answers to these puzzles.