From the 1st person perspective or single unit of experience, no. After all you don't know you can see if you have no object to see.SarathW wrote:So can there be six sense bases (Salayatana) without contact?
Can there be hearing (which requires the organ of hearing) without sounds? Who or what hears without sounds? No listener without sounds.
From the evolution viewpoint, you would likely lose the ability to hear if the world is a silent place.
Likewise, no seeing(or seer) without light. No thinker without thoughts.
They are dependently co-arisen in terms of direct experience.
Light - Eye base - Seeing - seer
Sounds - Ear base - Hearing - hearer