Settings

Theme

The Most Astounding Thing in the Universe

psychologytoday.com

1 points by lacero 12 years ago · 1 comment

Reader

laceroOP 12 years ago

I like the article but I don't think the conclusion is as profound as the argument builds up to.

> "If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is there, does it make a sound?"

If one reads the arguments in the article they may conclude that, because sound is produced in the brain and the brain only, our reality is created by our minds. I do not think that conclusion is straightforward. What we perceive as reality is nothing more than a "signal" that our brain interprets in a unique way. Just because a sound is a brain specific interpretation of a signal does not mean that the signal does not exist independent of the brain. The signal is there regardless of the observer. The only uniqueness is what the brain describes the signal as. To conclude that the tree does not make a "sound" I believe is just playing with words.

Keyboard Shortcuts

j
Next item
k
Previous item
o / Enter
Open selected item
?
Show this help
Esc
Close modal / clear selection