Hearing is mostly internal neural processing, not raw external sound reception

Evidence

It seems to follow from the very blueprint of our auditory system that much of what we call “hearing” has to do with the internal bureaucracy of the auditory planet. — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 561

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 561
• XREF: connects to: Hearing loss causes the brain to amplify then fabricate sound as tinnitus — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 331; City dwellers become functionally deaf to a constant low background urban hum — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 94; The brain sends more neural signals down to the ear than it receives — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute…, 559 (+21 more)

Library Connections

• The hearing system actively filters and modulates sound more than passively receiving it #corroborates (0.85) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 558
• The physical structure of the ear itself shapes and constructs perceived sound #corroborates (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 561
• Near-total silence reveals that most people generate internal sound perceived as tinnitus #exemplifies (0.80) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 571

Broader Connections

• Listening actively shapes the sound it perceives rather than merely registering it #corroborates (0.85) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 346
• Reduced auditory input causes the brain to amplify internal neural noise #exemplifies (0.75) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 563
• In sound’s absence the brain amplifies its own internal signals to compensate #exemplifies (0.75) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 610
• The act of hearing itself may make true absolute silence unattainable #corroborates (0.75) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 526
• Listening inclusively can fold one’s own thoughts into the sounded environment #expands (0.75) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 184
• The brain amplifies internal noise so total silence cannot be perceived #exemplifies (0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 609
• The brain’s evolved vigilance actively forecloses the possibility of true silence #expands (0.70)
• Deep silence can feel like a sensory presence rather than mere absence #exemplifies (0.70) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 35
• Perceptual listening involves attending to sounds not yet present. #expands (0.70) — Pauline Oliveros, Deep Listening, 382
• Brains conditioned by evolution may generate sound when none exists #expands (0.65) — George Michelsen Foy, Zero Decibels, 333