timbaland - morning after dark

Yes

Yes, I'd say that too Mark. My biology teacher meant otherwise.

Rollercoaster - Machine Gun Fellatio
iTunes link

I just love these thought experiments. You see, it depends on how far you choose to define sound. The percussion of vibrating waves that resonate through the air (caused when the rock hits the ground) will happen regardless if somebody is around or not. That part is due to causality, the concept of cause and effect in physics. That's a universal law. But technically nobody (or I should say no 'ears') will be around to be stimulated by those travelling soundwaves. And consequently no conscious brain will be around to sense and interpret them the way humans interpret these soundwaves. You could consider the following experiment the exact equivalent: If only a deaf person is around, does the falling rock still make a sound?

I'd like to consider that soundwaves are what constitute what a 'sound' is. The way they are observed or 'felt' by an observer is arbitrary. Humans very well could have evolved to see soundwaves and hear electromagnetic radiation (light). (And another point to make: many biologists think that blind bats 'see' sound, the way humans 'see' light).

If you define sound as soundwaves then of course it happens. But if you define sound as simply the way the human brain is stimulated by these soundwaves. Then I supposed I'd have to say simply because there is no observer around to feel it, the act of feeling the sensation doesn't happen.

Again the following is the same thing, ponder this: If nobody's around to see the tree, is the tree invisible? You see, the tree will still reflect light photons.... But again there are no eyes to be stimulated by those very light particles (and therefore nothing to 'see' the tree).... Or to take this even further: If there were no living organisms, no consciousness at all throughout the entire universe, would the universe would still go on existing? Just because there are no observers, doesn't mean an event doesn't happen, henceforth the way that a person interprets an observation, is irrelevant. The event still happened.

I probably got carried away here in my reply, but again I love thought experiments and its important that people ponder these kinda things imo. We wouldn't know shit-all about gravity if newton hadn't pondered it! Also anyway it's highly relevant to this topic. If someone left a stereo playing music out in the middle of the rainforest and then walked away.. does it still play music?

That's deep.

If there's no-one to hear it, we wouldn't know if it makes a sound. We can only expect it does or would. Let's say it has the potential to be heard as a sound.

Currently listening: Rancid - Junkie Man

..or am I? You can't hear it so you'll have to trust me on this.

damn mark, thats way too deep for me when im this tired

You, Mark, would find a friend of mine very interesting...

You've been doing too much Philosophisationing

LOL perhaps, but just lately. And then again the brain is a muscle, so if you don't exercise it occasionally it just might get flabby and weak

And btw I'm still listening to kanye west - gay fish on youtube. That cracks me up everytime I hear him sing the line: "I'll come over to your house and have an orgy in your mother f****ing fishtank".. hahaha

Just to continue the topic on after Mark's mind-twisting intellect .

No Other Way - Jack Johnson
iTunes link