Dictionaries define silence only negatively, as an absence of sound

Evidence

I am interested to note that the idea of silence is conceived of almost wholly as an absence, a withholding or subtraction from a presumed normalcy of sound. This strikes me instinctively as wrong, or at least prejudicial. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 81

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 81
• XREF: connects to: Pure, absolute silence has never existed and cannot exist — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 603; The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 526; Absolute silence cannot exist because the body always produces sound — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 234 (+11 more)

Related

• Silence is not the mere absence of something else, but a complex positive phenomenon #contradicts (0.95) — Silence: The Phenomenon and Its Ontological Significance
• Silence is nothing merely negative; it is a positive, a complete world in itself #contradicts (0.95) — The World of Silence | Dennis Lewis

Broader Connections

• Silence is a positive presence rather than mere absence #contradicts (0.90) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 1294
• The act of hearing itself makes total sensory silence unattainable #corroborates (0.65) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Absolute silence cannot exist because the body always produces sound #corroborates (0.65) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 234
• The act of hearing itself may make true absolute silence unattainable #corroborates (0.65) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Pure, absolute silence has never existed and cannot exist #corroborates (0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 603
• Zero decibels is a perceptual threshold, not a true physical absence of sound #corroborates (0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 473
• The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived #corroborates (0.60) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 609