Reason vs. Experience
June 22, 2010
there is a famous conundrum in philosophy: if a tree falls in the forest where none can hear it fall, does it make a sound?
the answer depends on your gnostic priority, which is to say, is knowledge based on reason or experience.
if reason, then it is reasonable to conclude that the tree would have made a sound as all trees make a sound when they fall, according to your experience.
if experience, then it is reasonable to conclude that the tree would not have made a sound because nothing can happen beyond our capacity to experience.
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