Does that mean when when a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, it makes no sound?
I've always taken that zen koan to be a definition of human perception. The concept of sound is something that we clothed with language as human beings. Does sound, by definition, exist if there isn't an ear to hear it? I think if every living person was suddenly wiped out, sounds would continue to be made, but there would be no one to call it sound, just as there would be no one to witness the apocalypse and recognize it as such. All words, all thought, all existence disappears - all books are effectively blank if there's no one left to read them.
The other thing about this is the use of the words "no one". Animals have ears and hear sounds, even recognize familiar sounds. They don't have words for those sounds (not sure where we're at in terms of animals outside of dolphins having an actual language), but I think they have a concept of sound. They may even use body language to communicate about that sound, in which case, even if there isn't a person to hear the sound of a tree falling, animals will hear it because it will still make noise.
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Date: 2007-11-27 05:59 pm (UTC)I've always taken that zen koan to be a definition of human perception. The concept of sound is something that we clothed with language as human beings. Does sound, by definition, exist if there isn't an ear to hear it? I think if every living person was suddenly wiped out, sounds would continue to be made, but there would be no one to call it sound, just as there would be no one to witness the apocalypse and recognize it as such. All words, all thought, all existence disappears - all books are effectively blank if there's no one left to read them.
The other thing about this is the use of the words "no one". Animals have ears and hear sounds, even recognize familiar sounds. They don't have words for those sounds (not sure where we're at in terms of animals outside of dolphins having an actual language), but I think they have a concept of sound. They may even use body language to communicate about that sound, in which case, even if there isn't a person to hear the sound of a tree falling, animals will hear it because it will still make noise.