 Are sounds proximal or distal? The customary science-based view holds that sounds are pressure waves that travel through a medium (see also Sorensen 2008). On this account, sounds are caused by objects and events such as collisions, and sounds cause auditory experiences. However, sounds are not auditorily experienced to travel through the surrounding medium as waves do. Thus, if sounds are waves, then the sounds we hear may be proximal, located at the ear of the hearer.