2006-06-27 01:48:56 · 26 answers · asked by vp 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
No, but the squirrel that it lands on will...
2006-06-27 01:53:27 · answer #1 · answered by bkemt6 2 · 11⤊ 6⤋
I guess I am just to literal for all the deep thinkers throughout history. There Is only one correct answer and a few people have referred to it in their answers.
No is absolutely the correct answer and here is why. Look in any dictionary for the definition of sound. Sound is only a vibration until it hits the human ear or a recording device. So, if no one is there to hear the tree fall and the sound is not recorded it is only a vibration.
I hope this clears up all the philosophical debate and we can get on with more pressing issues in the world. Frankly, if we would quite wasting time and thought on any questions like these we could be progressing more quickly as a people. My two cents.
2013-11-07 16:01:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
First of all, how big is the tree, how much vegetation is in the forest, and is there something there to hear it?
Second of all, is the tree making the sound, the fall making the sound, or the impact of the tree hitting the ground making the sound? The question is not clear about that.
Philosophically speaking, the answer could be yes or no based on what avenues you take in your reasoning. If you define sound as what something hears, then it depends on if something is in the forest or not to hear it. Based on that definition, it would not make a sound if nothing was there to hear it, and it would make it a sound if something was there to hear it.
Scientifically and logically speaking, yes, it would make a sound, for sound is just vibrations transmitted through an elastic material or a solid, liquid, or gas. Now those vibrations may not be picked up by somebody's ear, but the sound is still created. If you study how sound is created, and what produces the waves, you will see the contact with the ground the tree makes in its impact will produce sound. No matter the size of the tree, the impact will produce sound waves, whether they are audible or not.
2006-06-29 06:41:55 · answer #3 · answered by Just Wondering 777 3 · 2⤊ 4⤋
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to witness it fall, yes, it makes a sound. The crescendo of a tree crashing among leaves, already fallen branches and taking into consideration the size of the tree all confirms that it would indeed make a sound.
2006-06-27 02:35:50 · answer #4 · answered by gravelgertiesgems 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It goes like this, if a tree falls in the forest and no one's there to hear it, does it make a sound?
It just means that there are some things in life that cant be answered without the gift of hearing and sight.
2006-06-27 02:33:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 14⤊ 0⤋
Zen Koans like this one are traditional Japanese folk tales that allow multiple interpretations and can help lead to great insights. They are meant to take the mind into a state of uncertainty and thereby shock the mind out of its conditioned way of functioning. A state of pure potential. A state of enlightenment.
However, since this is yahoo! answers. I shall attempt to do so.
No, it does not make a sound. Because, there is no reality independent of the observer. If there is such a reality the observer cannot know of it, for then it has been observed.
This ancient paradigm is part of modern quantum physics. If the physicist looks for a particle (uses particle detectors), then a particle is found. If the physicist looks for a wave (uses a wave detector), then a wave pattern is found. A quantum entity has a dual potential nature, but its actual (observed) nature is one or the other.
2006-06-27 09:10:47 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 9⤊ 1⤋
the person who says that the tree makes no sound is absolutely right. the universe is perfectly silent. it is only until the waves hit the ear and registers in the brain that noise appear. everything comes through as waves,whether it is sight or sound, even the brain takes the waves from sight and adds color to it, thus, the universe is colorless.
2015-11-19 07:20:40 · answer #7 · answered by sylvia 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to photograph it and put it on Facebook, did it really happen?
2013-11-26 23:21:38 · answer #8 · answered by Jim 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
No, because without a observer the tree does not exist. It is only a possibility.
2015-04-02 09:49:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anthony Choez 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, if there is life. No, if there is no life because the tree would not exist. Matter without life does nothing, and time would cease since all movement would stop.
2015-07-28 16:21:03 · answer #10 · answered by Robert 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The correct answer is NO!! Sound is something you hear but the question asks " and there is no one around". It has to be heard to be considered sound. Did the animals around it hear it? Probably but it's asking us if we as humans heard it or not.
2017-04-17 16:42:31 · answer #11 · answered by Robert 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋