577 replies to this topic

[Ninhursag]

I also think it makes a sound ..

Lol to the previous post

[Seeker79]

All the little animals and insects would have to be deaf aswell.

[Harlequin Dreamer]

The sound would of happened regardless of who is there or not but I still prefer the idiom of what sound does one hand clapping make.

[Mr Right Wing]

cheo_vl, on 02 March 2007 - 04:21 PM, said:

if e tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a sound?  i'll say what i think, then if you guys dissagree, please explain your theory. i think that if a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, id does NOT make a sound. sound is defined as vibrations traveling through air, water, or some other medium, especially those within the range of frequencies that can be perceived by the human ear. the simple answer is that sound is something that can be heard. if no one hears it there is no sound. until someone hears them, those vibrations traveling through the air cannot be called sound. so i think that if a tree falls in the woods and there's no one around to hear it, it emits certain vibration with the potential to become a sound, if there was somebody there to hear it. does anyone have a different point of view?

Sound is a sensory perception and perceptions exist only in the mind.

Therefore it doesnt matter if you are there or not as sound isnt objectively real.

Edited by Mr Right Wing, 05 October 2012 - 11:58 PM.

[B Randomly]

It doesn't matter if "someone" was there to hear it.... if the tree fell, in the first place, there definitely was a sound.  Just by the description, alone, says there was a sound.  The question infers that there was action.  For every action there must be an equal and opposite reaction.

[Rlyeh]

Mr Right Wing, on 05 October 2012 - 11:56 PM, said:

Sound is a sensory perception and perceptions exist only in the mind.

Therefore it doesnt matter if you are there or not as sound isnt objectively real.

Are you going to say SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) doesn't exist? We can't hear it.

Sound waves exist independently of the mind/brain/sensory perception.

Edited by Rlyeh, 06 October 2012 - 08:14 AM.

[ThePhantomFlanFlinger]

I was asked this question once and i said no.Later on a tree fell and nearly hit me...it made one hell of a noise..now id say yes.


eta... once a horse did a wee wee on me...that was a hell of a lot noisier..and damper..

Edited by ThePhantomFlanFlinger, 06 October 2012 - 08:55 AM.

[Mr Right Wing]

Rlyeh, on 06 October 2012 - 08:10 AM, said:

Are you going to say SONAR (SOund Navigation And Ranging) doesn't exist? We can't hear it.

Sound waves exist independently of the mind/brain/sensory perception.

A pressure wave travelling through the air is just a pressure wave.

The ears detect it, produce electrical signals which go to the brain, then the brain interrupts those electrical signals as sound. Sound does not exist outside of your head its just sensory perception.

[Rlyeh]

Mr Right Wing, on 06 October 2012 - 12:30 PM, said:

A pressure wave travelling through the air is just a pressure wave.

Also known as sound waves.

[henry9449]

why does you analyis
depend on a person being there is there tranmission of vibrations with out a receiver still a sound people or not

[henry9449]

is the  integration  of a person always a prerequisite
to reality

Edited by henry9449, 13 March 2013 - 07:08 PM.

[pallidin]

If I hang myself in my solitary jail cell, and there is no-one around to hear my last struggles, or even see it, would I be dead?

Yes.

[coolguy]

Yes  it does make a sound

[Mipply]

Leonardo, on 02 March 2007 - 04:28 PM, said:

Yes it does. Sound is simply an energy and the effect this energy has on the surroundings can be measured after the fact. It is pompous of us to assume we have such influence as to be able to negate this by our absence.

No.  It is pompus to assume we know what happens outside our experience of things.
An honest person understands that there is no absolute answer to this question.

[Mipply]

If a tree falls in an empty, lovely forest, does the tree make a sound, does it even fall, does it even exist – and does the forest exist without it and can it still be lovely?  
Answer:  Science shows that the sound of the tree falling in an empty forest is equal to the sound of one hand clapping multiplied by the speed of light squared over Pi pie ala mode.