Poll: If a Tree falls in a forest...

Lios

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almaster88 said:
Lios said:
Well that all depends. Is it falling through empty space or does it hit something? I mean, it'd be pretty skeptical that it makes any sort of sounds if it doesn't collide with anything right?
Um, it hits the ground? where do you think a forest is? SPACE?!
It could happen <.<
 

almaster88

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lol, like in that weird ass movie "The fountain" with hugh jackman? the tree floating through space?
 

I_LIKE_CAKE

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I have always hated this question. If the tree falls, it is going to make noise, it is a simple fact. Whether or not anyone one is there to hear it has no bearing on physical reality.
 

almaster88

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Dude read the other posts, sound by definition is vibrations in the air being perceived by humans. Maybe you should have taken the red pill, or the blue one, either way wake up in ur bed and forget you met morpheous
 

Clashero

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When it hits the ground, the ground vibrates. Vibration causes sound. Whether someone perceives it or not is besides the point.
End of discussion.
 

Jonatron

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Gamer137 said:
Yes it does. The real question is, can you clap with one hand?
If you can move your hand fast enough.

If you can just clench very quickly (Hell, I can do this.)
 

Shapsters

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If a bear shits in the woods, does it smell like shit? Yes... how is the tree any different?
 

Seydaman

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Lios said:
almaster88 said:
Lios said:
Well that all depends. Is it falling through empty space or does it hit something? I mean, it'd be pretty skeptical that it makes any sort of sounds if it doesn't collide with anything right?
Um, it hits the ground? where do you think a forest is? SPACE?!
It could happen <.<
it could fall off a cliff into an ocean, and it could have a point so that is silently slides into the water below, making no noise
 

Lukeje

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almaster88 said:
Dude read the other posts, sound by definition is vibrations in the air being perceived by humans. Maybe you should have taken the red pill, or the blue one, either way wake up in ur bed and forget you met morpheous
That's a definition of sound. Not the definition of sound. Hence the ambiguity.
 

irrelevantnugget

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I_LIKE_CAKE said:
I have always hated this question. If the tree falls, it is going to make noise, it is a simple fact. Whether or not anyone one is there to hear it has no bearing on physical reality.
There is no physical reality if it is not known to humans.

We define sound as a certain energy that we can perceive with our ears, according to Uexküll.
Clashero said:
When it hits the ground, the ground vibrates. Vibration causes sound. Whether someone perceives it or not is besides the point.
End of discussion.
Sound only exists because we define it as such.
The energy is there, but it's not necessarily sound.
Every species has its own way of perceiving energy. Our ears perceive the movement of air, as sound. But if there is no human to catch the 'sound', it does NOT exist.
 

Lios

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seydaman said:
Lios said:
almaster88 said:
Lios said:
Well that all depends. Is it falling through empty space or does it hit something? I mean, it'd be pretty skeptical that it makes any sort of sounds if it doesn't collide with anything right?
Um, it hits the ground? where do you think a forest is? SPACE?!
It could happen <.<
it could fall off a cliff into an ocean, and it could have a point so that is silently slides into the water below, making no noise
Well even that could make noise. You'd need a place with no friction. Such as outer space! :D
 

black lincon

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This is an odd reflection of the escapist community as a whole. The majority of us are very science minded and therefore use the scientific definition of sound, while a few are more philosophy oriented and go for a more perception based definition. On top of that the science based members seem to get sick of this argument very quickly, leaving the philosophers to try and convince the next batch of scientists.

I hope everyone realizes that this question bears a less literal meaning than anyone seems to see. The point is to determine if you think literally or philosophically, the distinction has been made through this community. On top of that the debate that has ensued is a very apt representation of religion Vs. science. An interesting event indeed.
 

The Eaten Cake

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The laws of physics state that it must create soundwaves, even if they don't get heard. Soundwaves are vibrations in the air. The presence of a cochlea to recieve these sounds is not a factor.

Also, there's probably plenty of wildlife around to hear this tree fall.
 

irrelevantnugget

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The Eaten Cake said:
The laws of physics state that it must create soundwaves, even if they don't get heard. Soundwaves are vibrations in the air. The presence of a cochlea to recieve these sounds is not a factor.

Also, there's probably plenty of wildlife around to hear this tree fall.
Again, wildlife do not know what sound is. How can you know that what a dog hears, is the same as what a human hears. Actually, we already know that dogs hear different frequencies.

Another example is... uhm... the smell of a flower. To a human, it's a soothing smell. To a bee, it's "opium". Not just a smell. Do they even have a nose that functions the same way as the human nose? They just catch the particles of a flower that we catch with our ears and recognize as a flower's smell. For bees, it's something completely different.