The tree would know if it fell over,
and so would all the creatures living on/in/under/with it.

Isn't science just a process of reaching agreement and consensus about what's happening and why? IMO its not always helpful to know that the earth is round and goes around the sun - this is contrary to our direct experience of a flat earth with where the sun rises and sets. Science, by trying to claim the supremacy of objectivity, makes us question the validity of our own experience, and increases our separation from nature.