Thanks for the warning! I guess I'll save it for after my meetings today so I'm more smiley ;)
Hopefully I can still comment / reply by then because the discussion here is a bit interesting.
EDIT: Okay, I'm actually more interested in reading this because of how much I disagree with the first sentence of the abstract:
> Most music theory books are like medieval medical textbooks: they contain unjustified superstition, non-reasoning, and funny symbols glorified by Latin phrases.
I'd have to disagree with all three of these points. As others have pointed out, I get the sense the author mistook the fact that the subject is called "Music Theory" to mean that "Music Theory" == "The Theory of Music", when instead it is an umbrella topic of things like "species counterpoint" and "tonal harmony" which are both a study of how music was written in a particular style, not an overarching theory of how music works.
> funny symbols glorified by Latin phrases
I think the is a reason in school, students often study music theory and music history concurrently, is so they understand how and why these "funny symbols" evolved (i.e. to use music to help standardize the liturgy of the early Catholic church---western music traces its roots back to Gregorian Chant, those glorifying "Latin phrases").
If you know a bit of music theory, I wouldn't recommend it. I skimmed the whole thing and it basically just ruined my morning by pissing me off, haha.