Today's Scripture Reading (August 9, 2023): Ezekiel 26
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to
hear it, does it make a sound? The question is a philosophical thought
experiment about the power of observation and perception. Still, I am amazed at
the number of people who have undertaken to answer the question. Factmyth.com
answers the question this way.
According to physics, if a tree
falls and no one is around to hear it, it still makes a sound. Sound
is a mechanical wave of pressure and displacement through a medium such as
air or water. We don't have to perceive a sound to know the laws of physics are
in play.
Of course, that is true. But if our definition of
sound includes a receiver of the sound, then there could be no sound if no one
is there to hear it or receive it. The same would be true in a world where
everyone is deaf. In such a world, there could be no sound, or sound would be
inconsequential because no one was present to receive the sound. In the same
way, sounds at a frequency that is above or below the portion of the frequency
range that the human ear can hear technically doesn't exist because we can't perceive
them, despite the effect these sounds might have on our immediate environment
(such as driving the neighborhood dogs crazy.) These sounds do not impact us;
therefore, most don't know or care if they are present.
Ridiculous? Yes, but most philosophical arguments seem
that way, especially when stretched to an ultimate conclusion. In University, I
once wrote a philosophy paper on the subject "How do I know that I am
awake?" And after writing the paper, I wasn't sure I wanted to be awake.
Maybe my paper was proof of my status because no dreamer would spend the
required time trying to write such a paper.
Jerusalem has fallen to the Babylonians. But it would
not be the only city to fall to the Babylonians. About the same year that the Siege
of Jerusalem ended with the destruction of the Judean capital, the Siege of
Tyre began. The Siege of Tyre lasted thirteen years and ultimately failed, but
Tyre agreed to pay tribute to the Babylonians anyway. As a direct result of the
siege, the economy of Tyre was almost completely destroyed. Instability is
never the friend of business, and thirteen years of instability destroyed the
commercial dreams of the coastal city. And this journey of the city from a prosperous
place of commerce to a city struggling to survive was a crash loud enough to
make the Mediterranean coastland tremble. And those living in the area heard the
end come to Tyre.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 27
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