Tree And Colour Essays - Epistemology, Critical Thinking

Tree And Colour The idea of sound will be investigated in the following essay. Is there sound in the world and if a tree falls in the forest and there is no body around does it actually make a noise? These ideas will be followed by the theory of colour. Individuals ?think? they see colour, so people believe there is colour in the world and do not even think twice about the issue. Still, some philosophers have presented ideas about the world with no colour. Is this theory plausible? Following these two questions, I will provide my take on the two theories of sound and colour and render my stance on whether I believe in the ideas of philosophers or whether I do not think their suggestions have any backing and provide stable proof. Sound is a vibration of air molecules caused by the motion of an object. The wave is a compression wave where the density of the molecules is higher. This wave travels through the air at a speed dependent on the temperature. A sound wave contains energy, which in turn means it can make things move. However, if the wave strikes something solid, it will bounce back (www.askjeeves.com {sound}). When a tree falls and there is no one around does it make a sound? There are two ways to look at the statement presented. The first way would include that sound is something that is objective and independent. When a tree falls it makes a noise (sound) and the noise that is produced is by the falling and hitting of the ground of the tree. This statement does not need anyone to prove its concretness, and it may even happen without anyone knowing it. The other theory that is presented is one of scientific adequacy where one has to think about the solution and have prior knowledge about sound waves and the theories behind them. When a tree falls, vibrations occur and cause waves in the air, which are detected by our ears and are then sent as messages to our brain and nerves. An equivalent reaction happens when our eyes see a coloured object. There is a process that takes place and a reaction has to occur before you can understand what you just saw or heard. Thus far, the two theories are related. The distinction between the two comes into effect when we look at whether we are hearing the waves in the air or whether this is the cause of the sound as well as the waves? The argument of the fallen tree in the forest only discusses the air waves; sound on the other hand is referred to as something physically heard. The ?sound itself is the result of the physical and physiological processes initiated by the fallen tree? (Landesman, 18). One philosopher that had a theory on this issue is William Ockham. His theory is referred to as the Ockham razor. He said, ?entities are not to be multiplied beyond necessity?. Ockham stated we should not include objective sound at all. By doing this we are making things simpler and his reasoning for this was the simpler things were the better they turn out. Ockham is not disagreeing that sounds exist but that there are two types of sounds: subjective and dependent. Since only air waves play a role in the hearing of sound, there is no point in believing that objective sound exists in the role of sound at all. George Berkeley was not so enticed by Ockham's theory. He saw many flaws in his reasoning and came up with his own explanations. His theory was that sound could be given a classification. There are many distinct sounds which are all different and cause various emotions in people. Some sounds cause a person to feel joy, while other sounds cause a person to experience a bad memory, thus causing pain. Air waves are simply a vibration or undulatory movement in the air. There are no properties of sound such as loudness that are caused by these waves. Berkeley's realization was that there is no feasible way that sound and air waves can be classified together in the same domain. Colour is one or any mixture of the