by RQ » Sun Feb 22, 2004 7:46 am
Yes, it is a possibility that the universe does not exist if we don't observe it, but that is only to our perception, which defines the senses, other than that, it is through our senses that we perceive the universe to exist, not the universe existing through our senses. It's kind of like Confucious' all-time question: If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody's around to hear it, did it make a sound? It certainly fell, as given, maybe not sound, but it didn't make noise, but if it fell it fell, otherwise if by your analogy if there indeed was someone to be near by to hear it, since there wouldn't be anyone to perceive it in the first place, it wouldn't be there and the person would see the tree falling but not hear it (assuming he/she's not deaf).
Of course the person coming would not be accounted for as one of the people who wouldn't hear the tree by given definition, so it wouldn't be a closed system. If it were, then the tree simply wouldn't make noise for the people who haven't heard it (makes sense).