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Philosophy of sound

Asked Apr 27, 2007, 06:41 AM — 14 Answers
Someone must be able to come up with something: If a tree fell in a forest and nobody was around, would it make a noise?
I have a theory on this.

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Capuchin's Avatar
Capuchin Posts: 5,319, Reputation: 3601
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#2

Apr 27, 2007, 06:48 AM
Depends what you regard as a noise.

If you regard physical pressure waves moving through the air, then yes.

If you regard the above phenomenon hitting a human's eardrums and producing a signal in the brain, then no.
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CaptainRich's Avatar
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#3

Apr 27, 2007, 06:49 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by CaptainRich
Someone must be able to come up with something: If a tree fell in a forest and nobody was around, would it make a noise?
I have a theory on this.
I believe the answer to this question is "No." If you think about the word noise, it is more subjective than if you asked if the tree falling made a sound. Yes, the tree falling would definitely make sound, but if nobody heard it, the sound couldn't be classified as noise.
Now, about that chicken-egg thing...
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Capuchin's Avatar
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#4

Apr 27, 2007, 06:51 AM
We had a thread bout the chicken egg thing in the biology forum. It was determined that from an evolutionary point of view, the egg came first.
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#5

Apr 27, 2007, 07:02 AM
I agree - it's not as "deep" a question as people make it out to be. What's a "sound"? Is it the pressure wave, or is it the psychological phenomenon of it being processed by a brain? If it's the pressure wave, then, yes, the tree does make a sound. If it's the perception of the pressure wave, then no, it doesn't.

Funny how a properly-phrased question almost always answers itself, huh?
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Capuchin's Avatar
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#6

Apr 27, 2007, 07:03 AM
It's the ambiguity of the definition of sound that makes it seem profound
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carcrashexpert's Avatar
carcrashexpert Posts: 25, Reputation: 17
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#7

Apr 27, 2007, 07:10 AM
"Ambiguity = profundity"?
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Capuchin's Avatar
Capuchin Posts: 5,319, Reputation: 3601
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#8

Apr 27, 2007, 07:13 AM
Well, more that average joe doesn't realise the ambiguity
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CaptainRich's Avatar
CaptainRich Posts: 6,078, Reputation: 2749
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#9

May 4, 2007, 04:38 AM
If a man speaks in that same forest and no woman is around to hear, is he still wrong?
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Capuchin's Avatar
Capuchin Posts: 5,319, Reputation: 3601
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#10

May 4, 2007, 04:40 AM
Men are never wrong, but sometimes they let the woman think they are in order to maintain balance ;p
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