Wow nice find in wikipidia. I didn't know they have these type of thing there.
Religious and philosophy a thin line there.

I guess one thing that makes the hold thing confusing or misleading is that in the English language there is allot of room for interpretation. If a sound is express as a wave traveling throw a medium then I think is accurate. The perception of that sound is very tricky thing. Some animals perceive those sounds in two different ways. One like a sonar and one like actual "sound".

In reply to this comment by xxovercastxx:
Wikipedia outlines 3 interpretations here. The third echoes what I proposed earlier whereas the first sounds a lot like what you describe. While it does potentially have religious ramifications, depending on what 'answer' you subscribe to, it's still fundamentally a philosophical question, not a religious one.

In reply to this comment by nickreal03:
A sound is a wave traveling throw the air period. Perception is a hold different subject which I don't see how it could possible fit. I belief this question was originally targeted to asked whether the universe exits because of humans rather than regarless of humans. I think is just an old stupid probably religious question that still been echo throw generations for some really stupid reason.

In reply to this comment by xxovercastxx:
>> ^nickreal03:
the sentence "if a tree falls and there is not one around, does it make a sound?". It is a sentence that most clearly explain what is wrong with human kind. For some f cked up reason humans thinks that the universe go around them. I hate that! I hate that sentence! I am piss to be a human sometimes. Bunch of arrogant self center bastards.

>>>>You might be missing the intent of the question. It's a thought experiment, not unlike Schrödinger's Cat. You have to break it down to get at the crux of the question.

When the tree falls, it introduces vibrations into the air. When these vibrations make their way into the ear of an animal, they are perceived as sound. The animal need not be human, just capable of hearing.

The provocative part of the experiment is asking yourself if vibrations traveling through a medium are sound, or do they only become sound when perceived?<<<<

A sound is a wave traveling throw the air period. Perception is a hold different subject which I don't see how it could possible fit. I belief this question was originally targeted to asked whether the universe exits because of humans rather than regarless of humans. I think is just an old stupid probably religious question that still been echo throw generations for some really stupid reason.