Locke and Berkeley: If a Tree Falls in a Forest
The philosophical question of whether a tree makes a sound when it falls in a forest with no one around highlights key epistemological differences between John Locke and George Berkeley. Locke argues that sound is a secondary quality, existing only in perception, meaning no one would hear it. Conversely, Berkeley asserts that sound exists in the mind, making it perceptible regardless of presence. This debate underscores the broader distinction between perception and reality in philosophy.
References
Anstey, Peter R. “John Locke and the Philosophy of Mind.” Journal of the History of Philosophy, vol. 53, no. 2, 2015, pp. 221-244.
Thiel, Udo. Locke: Epistemology and Metaphysics. CRC Press, 2019.
Tipton, Ian Charles. Berkeley: The Philosophy of Immaterialism. Routledge, 2019.
Tittle, Peg. What If…: Collected Thought Experiments in Philosophy. Routledge, 2016.
Reference
StudyCorgi. (2025, January 29). Locke and Berkeley: If a Tree Falls in a Forest. https://studycorgi.video/locke-and-berkeley-if-a-tree-falls-in-a-forest/