If a tree falls in the forest, and there's no one there to hear it, does it make a sound?

Answer 1

Here's what God's word says about falling trees.

Ecclesiastes 11:3
If clouds are full of water, they pour rain upon the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

As far as making a sound, ask the animals.

Answer 2

The acceptable answer at least in the cognitive science and in Philosophy of Science is that: NO. Philosophically, it is a problematic theory, but there is something called Representational Theory of Perception/Conception. Here is a quick example. Grab a knife and carefully observe it or even tough it. To the hand, it may be sharp and to the eye, it has this shiny appearance. Commonly, you would be inclined to say 'sharpness' or 'shiny' aspects of knife really belongs to a knife. But once you, say, mishandle it and cut your self, you would experience pain. You know that 'pain' does not belong to the knife, and you would not say 'pain' belongs to knife. What I really want to point out is that whatever you experience is one or more of 5 human senses belong to you; it's a property that belongs to an experiencer.

So when a tree falls in the forest, which you experience as sound, the sound is a property that belongs to you, but not to the forest. It is not to be denied that sound waves do not exist; in fact, sound waves do exist. It's just that whether or not sound waves can be experienced as sound depends if there is a person to experience it. So when there's no one there to hear a free falling in the forest, there is no Sound.

Answer 3

The whole idea about this is the preception of the human mind. There is no forest if you are NOT there to see it let alone sounds in it, if you are not there to hear it. Say somebody got married (or is born, dies, anything) one July 15 at 3:00pm You do not hear about it till the 18th at 6:30 so that is when it happened.

Now take it one step further.... There is no universe, planets, people or anything. As your dream seems real to you (tho it is all in your mind) the entire concept of life may be the same thing. Your brain may just be an energy ball floating in limbo & everything you know is self iduced by you (to include this response) LOL Now you see where the movie the Matrix came from.

Answer 4

No, it doesn't. This is a science question and not a philosophical question however. The ear of every creature just recieves the sound waves. From there, the ear must MAKE the sound. The only thing the tree produces is the sound waves, but no sound.

Have a nice day. (:

Answer 5

Of course it makes a sound,and how could no one be there to hear it,there are bugs ,animals in the forest even if there are no humans.otherwise there would be no forest.

Answer 6

Yes. The fact that no humans are around to hear the noise it makes has nothing to do with what actually happens. The sound is made!

Answer 7

That depends on your definition of sound. It certainly produces compression waves in the air which any animal in the vicinity will hear as sound. If there are no animals around there won't be anything to hear it - but the physical event is still there.

Answer 8

With no ear around to vibrate, no brain around to interpret, then the answer is no, it produces shock waves as the tree fall to earth.
it is only an ear and a brain that converts the waves into a sound.
LF

Answer 9

i'm going to answer with another question. does someone have to be present to consider something as a sound? is it the presence or the awareness of human that make things exist? i don' think so !

Answer 10

No it doesn't. Sound is something perceived by us. When we cannot perceive it, then it's simply not there. The sound waves are, but SOUND (a human concept) is not present without an actual human there.