If a Tree Falls in the Forest

“If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” This rhetorical question has been a popular topic of debate and conversation for several centuries. It was first discussed by an Irish philosopher named by George Berkeley around 1710. Like many things that grow in legend over the years, it’s been rumored that Berkeley himself never posed the actual question. Instead, it was asked years later in reference to Berkeley’s article discussed above. Perhaps when the world was bigger and places were more distanced from each other, the question might have been more appropriate. In this day and age, however, with the world news literally at our fingertips via our various smart gadgets, there is little place to debate it. The world is a much smaller place and we are aware of anything that happens on the other side in an instance. We see, hear and read about news around the world that we’re not actually a part of nor is it happening in our vicinity. I think it’s time to rethink the basic philosophy of the proverb that if no one saw or heard something, it devalues the significance of it.