Question: if a dead tree falls in the woods does it make a sound

title: If a tree falls in a forest
text: Philosopher George Berkeley , in his work , A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge ( 1710 ) , proposes , `` But , say you , surely there is nothing easier than for me to imagine trees , for instance , in a park ( ... ) and nobody by to perceive them . ( ... ) The objects of sense exist only when they are perceived ; the trees therefore are in the garden ( ... ) no longer than while there is somebody by to perceive them . '' ( It is worth noting that the quote from section 45 is arguably a statement of an objection to Berkeley 's view , and not a proclamation of it . ) Nevertheless , Berkeley never actually wrote about the question .