If a tree falls...

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

I remember someone explaining to me that there are two points to this question, wikipedia shows three (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_a_tree_falls_in_a_forest).  For me, my answer would be a bit more pragmatic.  Yes, it makes a sound because:

 

1.  As stated in that wikipedia page, "Sound as it is mechanically understood will occur, but sound as it is understood by sensation will not occur."  Sensation is highly subjective, hence, give me the mechanical in this case.

 

2.  If it were the case that it doesn't "make a sound", then is the homeless really homeless?  Is the poor really poor?  Is the enemy really non-existent?  The essence of a surprise, is based on actions not being perceived until the moment of surprise.  But if it's the case that no perception equals no existence, then the surprise should never occur (because the steps leading up to the surprise were never perceived).  The integral point is here is causality.  Just because you don't perceive/observe a certain link in the causal chain, doesn't mean that chain doesn't exist, or that you won't ever perceive/observe a link further down that same chain.