Ah I have given this a lot of thought (I do stuff like that)
and if a tree falls in a forest and there is no-one around to hear it does it make a sound?
My answer is yes as we evolved ears to hear sound - not that sound was created to suit the fact we have ears. Therefore sound is an ambient part of the evironment and we evolved to learn to hear sound else we wouldn't need ears - therefore sound happens whether we hear it or not. ta-da!
(maidenis filmed before a live studio audience,
Thu 13 Nov 2008, 22:52,
archived)
'sound' is our interpretation of waves of energy being emitted from any given source
not the energy itself. if there are no ears to receive the energy, there is no 'sound'
so in terms of literal truth, if a tree falls and no one is around to hear it, it doesn't make a noise, it merely produces waves of sound energy
(mictoboyshitting in your cunt since,
Thu 13 Nov 2008, 23:02,
archived)
It depends on your definition of 'sound',
whether sound is just molecules vibrating in certain ways, or whether it's the qualia of us perceiving those vibrations.
(Tom OBedlamI have control of a tank,
Thu 13 Nov 2008, 23:09,
archived)
I would say that vibrations in the air is sound
regardless of how they are perceived. Often this kind of question of the falling tree is coupled with the remark "We don't hear the wind unless it rustles through the leaves of a tree." but any movement of air makes a sound often too low a frequency for us to preceive.
(maidenis filmed before a live studio audience,
Thu 13 Nov 2008, 23:28,
archived)
I agree.
But I'd use sound to describe the physical or mental processes, and this whole debate seems to depend on which definition you use.
I think about life the universe and everything really
I'd like to know the answers, not just some philosophy but the truth of things. However I don't think there really is truth of things only subjective interpretations about these things - however there must be an undeniable truth of things but we will never know what is the objective truth of life.
(maidenis filmed before a live studio audience,
Thu 13 Nov 2008, 23:48,
archived)
I'm sure there is a fundamental truth, but I'm sure we'll never know it for sure.
My basic strategy is to argue the opposite to the other guy, because it makes things more fun.