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Name: Albert Velasco
Teacher: Ms. Tuzi
Course: HZT4U
Date: 2009-03-03
Homework Query: Day 19
“Does a tree falling in the forest make a sound if no one is there to hear it?” This is a philosophical riddle/question that has puzzled the minds of many people for years. This riddle raises questions about our knowledge of reality and existence. There are many individuals that believe that it does, but there are also many that believe the tree falling does not make a sound. In today’s lesson, we learned the theories of John Locke and George Berkeley. If we were to follow Berkeley’s theory, according to him the sound of the tree would not exist because no one is around to hear and perceive it. But if we were to use Locke’s theory of primary and secondary qualities, we would not be absolutely sure that a sound actually sounds like anything. Many of my fellow peers believe that it does make a sound. I also asked my mother, and she too believes that the tree does indeed make a sound as it falls. Both of their arguments were that if someone were around to hear the tree fall it would make a sound, so if no one is around it still does. Well, I believe in the theory that we only perceive that the tree falling makes a sound based on our past experience.
Firstly, we would have to analyze the important parts of the question. Personally, I believe that the most important part of the question is the word “sound”. What exactly is sound? Sound is vibration transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations. This is what I took from reading the definition of sound: Sound is defined by being heard. If no one can hear it, sound is just waves, frequencies and vibrations. These waves and vibrations can only become sound once they reach and hit a person’s ear drum. If no one is around to hear the sound it does exist,...
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