To believe in ghosts one would have to believe in some sort of metaphysical world, that is, something that contains angels, gods, heavens, hells, devils, etc. Since there is absolutely no evidence for such a world, and there has never been any scientifically verifiable evidence of ghosts, only anecdotal reports of hallucinations, there is no reason for me to waste my time believing in them or in any other fairytales.
No, there is no evidence of a “universal imprint or memory” other than what we each remember of the other people we contact, both living and dead. But that’s in our memories, in no way an indication of the existence of the dead person, either as ghost or some sort of “memory mist” floating in the air. And no, there are no paradigms in physics that postulate anything of the sort.
Sorry, the version of cannibis from which hemp is made doesn’t contain enough tetrahydrocannabinol to get a mouse high.
Occam
lol, I thought it was cute when I first heard that.
I do not believe a metaphysical world needs necessarily be filled with gods and demons. We have evidence of “spooky action at a distance” (Einstein) and many other descriptions of an unreal universal condition, which seems to be present but not (yet) accounted for. I am not implying that this needs be mysterious and forever hidden. We might well discover a universal medium or condition which has no physical or energetic properties, yet does in a subtle way govern universal actions. The jury is still out on that. I am in total agreement that such an condition would not be intelligent or have intent in and of itself.
I’ve never seen or heard of any evidence that would convince me to believe in ghosts (despite knowing many believers), and I grew up in haunted New England. I’m almost as afraid of ghost hunters as I am of ghosts. Have you ever met one in real life? A ghost hunter, I mean. They’re nutty enough to be scary.
Personal anecdote: I thought I saw a ghost when I was a little kid. I woke up in the middle of the night (maybe 2 or 3 am) and heard/saw a shape walk across the hallway into the guest room. It was dark, I didn’t have my glasses on, so I assumed it was my mother. It looked vaguely like her. I could tell the shape was female and wearing a nightgown, with curly hair. Anyway, I asked, “Mom, can I have a glass of water?” No reply. I repeated it, and finally went into the guest room, where I assumed she’d fallen asleep. But there was no one in the guest room. I was so certain I’d see her in there, I flipped out and ran to her bedroom ... and there she was, asleep.
Our house was built over an old Puritan farmhouse, and there you have it. I was sure I’d seen a ghost.
But is another, less supernatural explanation possible? Yes. Yes it is. I was running a high fever that night, and as you know, little kids with high fevers can hallucinate or have waking dreams. In my adult life, I believe it was a feverish hallucination. A powerfully scary one, though! To this very day, I’m uncomfortable about sleeping in my old bedroom alone.
I had a fever like that once also as a child. My head was throbbing so much I kept watching the door because I
thought “the blob” was coming after me, lol. That old sci-fi movie about the big rolling tar ball that ran over people
and swallowed them up, and it always made that throbbing sound whenever the blob was coming. I was only about
five or six years old and I never did actually hallucinate seeing the blob I just kept expecting it to come through the
door any second. If I had actually thought I saw it I probably would have had a heart attack I was so scared.
I remember watching an alien movie on TV as a kid, and being certain that night that aliens would come through my window or door. I knew they didn’t exist, but the movie scared me. I tried to be as flat and still as I could under my blankets, hoping the “aliens” wouldn’t see me breathing.
Then years later I saw a “Far Side” cartoon that advertised a snorkel for kids hiding under the covers from the monsters under their beds, afraid to come up to breathe.
Here’s a topic that got me interested in skepticism in the first place. I think the majority of “ghost hunters” are not even real believers themselves. It’s my belief that some people have come across a cash cow and have decided to milk it. Along with the ghost hunter programs, there has been a growing number of “ghost hunting” supply shops. And the supposed “scientific” equipment they use doesn’t come cheap in most cases. So what we have is a bunch of gullible people who are watching “ghost hunters” on TV. go online, see ads for “ghost hunting supplies”, and then spend money. Thinking they are an “investigator” all of a sudden.
Now, I’m not a huge fan of Government intervention in anything. But it seems to me if we have laws protecting the elderly and young from unscrupulous business practices, shouldn’t we have some sort of legislation regarding this industry that has no basis on any sort of proof whatsoever. There are scores of “ghost hunting teams” running around raking in the cash from the gullible. It’s time to put a stop to it.
Here’s a topic that got me interested in skepticism in the first place. I think the majority of “ghost hunters” are not even real believers themselves. It’s my belief that some people have come across a cash cow and have decided to milk it. Along with the ghost hunter programs, there has been a growing number of “ghost hunting” supply shops. And the supposed “scientific” equipment they use doesn’t come cheap in most cases. So what we have is a bunch of gullible people who are watching “ghost hunters” on TV. go online, see ads for “ghost hunting supplies”, and then spend money. Thinking they are an “investigator” all of a sudden.
Now, I’m not a huge fan of Government intervention in anything. But it seems to me if we have laws protecting the elderly and young from unscrupulous business practices, shouldn’t we have some sort of legislation regarding this industry that has no basis on any sort of proof whatsoever. There are scores of “ghost hunting teams” running around raking in the cash from the gullible. It’s time to put a stop to it.
That’s a good point, William. Before they market themselves or their equipment, they first ought to demonstrate effectiveness.
Perhaps it will arrive around the same time as we get a legislation banning religion, priests and churches…. ? would you wish for that too ?
Like I said in my earlier post, I’m not a big fan of Government intervention. But if other companies are bound by law to market their products responsibly, then we should expect the same from these snake oil salesmen.
No, I do not believe in ghosts, but I do enjoy some of the ghost/paranormal shows. It is good times to watch people get themselves all freaked out because it is 3 in the morning and the lights are off. I love how dramatic it all gets. I also like those haunted history shows as well. I find them mindlessly entertaining. Intellectual slumming can be so relaxing at the end of the day.
Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who view these programs in the context of a scientific documentary and believe everything on them is “real” or “true”. Possibly, a disclaimer at the beginning of the program stating that “this program is for entertainment purposes only” may help; although this statement does not seem to affect the personalized psychic reading hot lines that are prevalent and prospering today.
Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who view these programs in the context of a scientific documentary and believe everything on them is “real” or “true”. Possibly, a disclaimer at the beginning of the program stating that “this program is for entertainment purposes only” may help; although this statement does not seem to affect the personalized psychic reading hot lines that are prevalent and prospering today.
Right. The problem with those disclaimers is that they are quickly forgotten in the drama of the program. It might be slightly better if they repeated the disclaimer after each commercial break as they do with warnings for mature content, but even that is a poor substitute for actually getting the facts right.
I mean, after all, what does it mean to say that the show is for entertainment purposes? Does that necessarily mean the info they present is false? I bet a lot of people wouldn’t necessarily see it that way.
Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who view these programs in the context of a scientific documentary and believe everything on them is “real” or “true”. Possibly, a disclaimer at the beginning of the program stating that “this program is for entertainment purposes only” may help; although this statement does not seem to affect the personalized psychic reading hot lines that are prevalent and prospering today.
Yeah there is now one of those ghost hunter shows for kids, and my child thought it was a “documentary.” I had to explain that it was little actors with pretend equipment, despite the claim on the commercial that the show is “100% real and TERRIFYING! REAL GHOSTS and the KIDS WHO HUNT THEM!” (dramatic music!!! spooky sounds!!!) He was confused because the announcer said “100% real!” and then I had a talk with him about how reality TV is all fake.
I experience non physical beings that can knock a piece of wood off a table. I am not sure what the scientifically provable cause will turn out to be. I hope it happens in my life time. I have blogs giving the details. click my profile for URL if your interested. Maybe…Thank you!
