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Question: When a tree hits the ground it always makes a sound right!?
In the past, when sound recorders did not exist, I could see how this would be a philosophical debate, but it is clear now, that when we are not around to hear things, they still make sounds, correct!? Sound waves are going to occur, regardless of the fact that we are not around!.
It is making a sound, but we are not hearing it!. Just because we don't hear something, doesn't mean its not making a sound!. If we video or audio taped it, the sound would be there, so how is this even a debate!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
The tree falling in the woods statement is not a philosophical question!. It's a zen koan, and koans are meant to go unanswered, bringing the person to a state of enlightenment!. When you try and answer it rationally or logically, you've fallen of the path!. When you ignore it, you haven't gotten anywhere!. It's the in-between that counts!.
While western philosophy aims to answer the question, zen philosophy intends to un-answer the question!. Un-answering makes your mind clear, like a pool of water that suddenly settled down to become clear enough to see the bottom of the pool!.
There were western philosophers that used similar questions but I forget their names and their theory wasn't much celebrated!. So one philosopher said something like if you have box and don't open it, then there's nothing that exists inside the box!. Only when you open it does what's inside come to existence!. The problem is that things do exist, just as HIV existed decades before anyone knew of it!. But the statement does make sense in terms of our perceptions of knowledge and understanding and how fragile and fickle they are; it just doesn't make sense in terms of the actual existence of thing materially!.
Buddhism has an entire science devoted to overcoming inaccurate perception of things and tries to teach you to view and understand things 'as they are,' not as you falsely perceive them to be!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
Yeah, it depends upon what you define as ground!. And is there air/other medium in which the soundwaves travel!? Are you deaf!?
But apart from these, the main issue is this: How do I know that it's making a sound when I cannot hear it!?
If I said that it made a sound just because it had before I would be making an inference!. And inferences, as opposed to deductions, are not necessarily true!. also, I would be exhibiting reliabilism: relying on information that I had been told/experienced before to make a conclusion about the sound!. So there's a chance I might be wrong about it emitting a sound!. Skeptics would therefore say that there's no real way of absolutely knowing whether the tree made a sound or not!. Www@QuestionHome@Com
I think the main function of the debate is not if there is sound waves produced (because obviously there are) but does anyone care if they are produced!. Ask yourself this, Why is it that one person can listen to classical music and be stirred and uplifted while another hears only irritating noise, Why is it that one person can't get enough of Death Metal but hates The Blues!? The question of does a tree still make a sound is not a question about the physical nature of sound but what the sound that is created means to us!.
Hope this helps!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
A deaf person could not experience the noise since his ears
are not attuned to the vibrations!. Anything that can hear
the vibrations can hear the noise!. If you place your recorder
near the tree, and the batteries are charged, you will be able
to hear a " reproduction" of the noise of the real falling tree!.Www@QuestionHome@Com
This is an example of a question which people put forth as being philosophical or metaphysical, but which can be answered scientifically!. People also put forth a lot of religious questions which can be answered scientifically, then get all upset when the answer is something other than "gawddidit" or "you just have to believe!." See the book below for one example--the existence of the Abrahamic god!.
Zen koan my butt!. :-)
Www@QuestionHome@Com
i understand completely things cant just not make a sound unless someone is there they still send off sound waves like if i have my heaphones on and my mom is talking but i cant hear she is still making soundWww@QuestionHome@Com