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Emily Alspector's picture

If a tree falls....

Submitted by Emily Alspector on Sun, 04/27/2008 - 9:32pm.
When Professor Grobstein asked the class if a tree falls and no one is there to hear it does it make a sound, i automatically said, "of course it does"...i fell for the trap. And while I understand the difference now, I'm not sure that's the point of that age-old question. While it's interesting to think of that in terms of waves and our nervous system's translation into "sound", it's also important to not forget what I always thought to be the real meaning behind that question: what is reality outside of the self? As finite beings, it is impossible for us to fathom what is "real" and what is a "fabrication", and even where the two overlap. However, this discussion striked me as particularly interesting because it's not one I often considered. When first asked that question, I always knew/believed the answer was yes, but then comes the question, If a tree falls and no one is there to see it, did it actually fall? I realize that may sound completely twisted, but if our ears are capable of "fooling" us into hearing what might not be "reality", then whos to say our eyes aren't also fooling us as well. And I'm not talking about the nervous system making stuff up where there are "holes" as we discussed in class, I'm talking about life, reality, all being just way off base. I really enjoyed the story Professor Grobstein told about the blind community gauging the eyes of the two "crazies" because it really puts things into perspective. What is life outside of our world?
I also really liked Maggie's comment about this alteration of reality as being an adaptation, which just makes me think of the Matrix with Keanu Reeves, but is nonetheless a really cool thought.

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