The answer is... no. There is no forest, no tree and no sound. Its all created in the mind by certain signals. Only when we observe it does the world come alive.
Similarly, if we take the idea of a simulated universe seriously, the entire world is just an appearance, an illusion (Maya) generated by our Consciousness. If we don't observe it, it does not exist.
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if we take the idea of a simulated universe seriously
Bullshit.
I don't know where I heard this sentiment first but I think it defuses mind-world pretty well "Ya gotta be arrogant beyond belief to believe you're the author of the Beatles catalogue"
Even that tree things arrogant. You being there to hear it has no bearing on it making noise. I think that was one of those mind exercises developed to see who the dumber, illogical students were so you knew which ones you needed to work on more.
Did the tree retroactively make a sound when someone comes across a fallen tree no one observed falling? What if a butterfly takes off as the tree falls, causing a thunderstorm in Sriram's hometown that destroys his computer?
Solipsism truly is the single most idiotic and arrogant idea ever conceived.
Not fundie, just philosophy rambled off by a first year student. Betting that despite their referencing the Simulation Argument, they've never even heard of Nick Bostrom...
Worse, they're doing it wrong. The Simulation Argument posits that, if at any point a civilization becomes sufficiently advanced to run simulations of a complexity matching that of the real world, and would use it to simulate their ancestors or similarly 'primative' cultures, then odds are good that we are living in such a simulation. Has nothing to do with the mind being the source of all outside things.
Give them a few more years studying, and perhaps they'll see just how off they are.
If Sram was cycling on a deserted road, and a tree fell on him, would anyone give a shit?
I think we've found something even more stupid than the Bugblatter Beast of Traal.
...meanwhile, digital audio recorders with sound-activated recording & lithium batteries placed near rotted trees, with a strong breeze forecasted. Hitting the fingers on the palm of that hand. Also, Zecora is grey . [/hyper-smartarse] (*Car approaching Zebra Crossing *)
X3
They exist as information in the system. They're just not rendered, but obviously if you go to the area within virtual reality where the tree was scripted to fall it will have fallen, thus it happened. To think that something happening out of our sight isn't real is the mark of a megalomaniac even in the context of a simulation, as it has consequence within that simulation. If this is a philosophy you try to apply to the real world then you're probably a sociopath or at the very least dangerously apathetic to any situation that has no visible impact on your life even if it costs others dearly.
This went from musing about the nature of perception and how it relates to reality to something potentially unsettling.
That's the self-centered hypothesis, which takes into account no other person or creature. But if a tree falls and YOU don't hear it, someone else might, or some bird or squirrel. No reason to think that YOUR consciousness supersedes that of others.
If a tree falls, a sound wave is produced. You just don't happen to be receiving the signal. Let's try that experiment another way, shall we? If you are in the company of two friends, one of whom is profoundly deaf, and a tree falls, did the tree make a sound? The vote goes two to one, doesn't it?
To be fair, the idea that the world would never coalesce into a single state of existence unless it was observed is a foundational principle of quantum uncertainty. It's actually this idea that spawns the infamous Schrodinger's cat thought experiment.
I somehow doubt this moron is discussing quantum theory, though.
The Veil of Maya argument? Look, I love Schopenhauer too, but more for his writings on social interaction, not his bull about Will and Ideal.
In a Virtual Reality situation for example, when we are in a virtual forest....does a falling tree make a sound when no one observes it'? Does the tree or forest even exist when no one observes it?
The answer is... no. assumption is "no".
There is no forest, no tree and no sound. Its all created in the mind by certain signals. Only when we observe it does the world come alive.
Similarly, if we take the idea of a simulated universe seriously
If we don't observe it, it does not exist.
@Uilleam
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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