If ghosts behave in an intelligent manner, how can they do so without a brain?

Question

I was watching a program the other day, in which this ghosthunter was actually trying to talk to a ghost and get it to respond. I wondered how he expected the ghost to talk without vocal cords, even if it did exist, how could it do anything without a brain?

I've listened to all of th bizarre theories on how ghost draw energy, etc, but all of this would have to be done by an intelligent organism that had some kind of brain to process information. So what is the theory? If they do exist, how can ghost behave like they supposedly do, carry on hauntings, etc without the ability to think?

Answer 1

Your question can not even be reasonably discussed until you entertain other views outside of materialism (which is the underlying assumption in your question) that believes that mind is simply a byproduct of the processes of the brain. There are other points of view (many highly developed and well researched) and the links I provide below will allow you to be informed about them if you wish.

Wilder Penfield (perhaps the greatest neuro surgeon ever) [link below] believed that the mind and brain were separate.

Yes, perhaps this neurosurgeon was just crazy or an idiot I wonder how your accomplishments stack up to his?

Again, one does not need vocal cords or human brains unless one is stuck thinking in material terms (read some research).

Many, in fact most reported cases of ghosts do not behave in an intelligent manner nor do they appear to interact with humans in any way (observers are most often ignored). Again, please read up on some research before trying to engage in intelligent discourse. I have included three links for you below to allow you to become acquainted with the research.

Answer 2

Trying to make sense of ghosts.It's a waste of time.People go to great lengths so they don't have to.Make sense I mean.

Answer 3

you don't have to have a brain in order to have a memory. When you die, you remember your life. Most of it anyway. Spirits who die suddenly usually don't remember dying.

But, um, I hate to tell you this, but those spirits really can respond to you. They can talk just the same way you do. I really don't know how, but it just sometimes takes being able to hear certain frequencies in order to hear them. And I've found that what a spirits frequency is can vary person to person.

Like I said, I really don't know how. That's a question for my spirit guides one of these days. But I get a feeling it's  ingrained in the soul.

Answer 4

I've learned it's best not to think too much about the physics of ghosts. It always leads to absurdity  :)

BTW, Nuff, nobody ever established that Occam's Razor doesn't apply to today's "complex" science. Just the opposite, in fact. See my answer to your question. I make my living as a scientist and I use Occam's Razor almost every day as a guide in how to investigate and model physical phenomena. I added an excellent link you might find interesting.

Answer 5

I think that you and many of those answering may be confusing mind with brain. Your brain is an amazing organ it controls our muscles, respiration, pulmonary function and a host of other lesser known functions, but it does not think.

Thought is a function of mind that exists independent of anything physical. What appears to be the brain thinking in brain function imaging and other brain measuring attempts is only blood flow being measured to the part of the brain that acts as an interface between the mind and the body. This is the secondary function of the brain after regulating bodily functions. It acts as the interface, or the mind body connection.

Without it there would be no way for the nonphysical mind to exert any control over the physical body.

It is interesting that science has done its best to overlook this fact for so long. The silly idea that thought is some magical function of some mysterious electrochemical reaction is so vague as to be hilarious. There are several ways to disprove this theory beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Being nonphysical in source your mind is in no way effected by the death of the body and loss of the mind body interface, or brain.

Love and blessings.

don

Answer 6

How do you know they don't have a brain?

They have intelligent thought.   Intelligent hauntings are those in which the ghost interacts with the present.  It is intelligent, in

that it may communicate with those on the earthly plane.  The disembodied person has

elected for some reason to stay or maybe just visit the physical world, due to a connection

with a person, place or thing.  Intelligent hauntings may also occur due to a spirit's

compelling need to deliver a message from the other side of the grave, or to watch over

loved ones.  In addition, it is also plausible that intelligent hauntings occur due to

attachments the ghostly person feels through memories, trauma, tragedy or any other

emotional tie, effectively binding the mind to:

1) maybe not realize the person;s body is indeed deceased

2) completing unfinished earthly business

3) re-living traumatic events, as the mind replays the event in trying to comprehend

4) perhaps hang around loved ones or persons the ghost finds like company with

5) not letting go due to fear of death and moving on to a new world

Answer 7

we have already gone over the physics of death. The spirit, ghost like all things becomes energy. Most of the time this energy disperses, but there are occasions where this energy does not disperse. thus a haunting occurs. Since all your thoughts, memories, feelings are electric impulses, those go with you upon death. Now you can choose to believe what you want to, but science cannot prove nor disprove everything. Its not capable with the current level of sophistication we have right now. Science cant decide which is the right law of physics, The general law or quantum physics. They have been trying to marry the two with math for decades, but as of yet there is no unified theory, so whos theory is correct? both cannot rule in the same universe. We have established that Occams law cannot be applied to the complex scientific theories of todays world, in essence its usless in most cases. One cannot discount the millions upon millions of witnesses to things paranormal like ghosts are well documented since the beginning of written history. Again, because the science for proving nor disproving a haunting has not been perfected yet,  does that mean it wont be in the future. Would you say Steven Hawkings is an idiot for believing there are parallel universes existing in the same place at the same time. I think most would not call him an idiot or a religious fanatic, the man just believes in quantum physics and waves to produce parallel universes. and if quantum physics is correct, then who is to say we dont go to the next one with everything we are energy wise? can you say there is no way? Athiests say theres nothing after death, that might be so, Religious people believe in an afterlife and a creator.  If upon death your energy leaves your body, why wouldn't the memory of everything you are go with you since its all energy? Just maybe there will come a day when we can say for sure what does or does not happen upon death. But I would say, since we are the only animal on this planet and the universe as we know it, that contemplates our own demise, I would say there is a little more to us than just a few ounces of minerals and water.

Answer 8

This is a very good question.  That is why you will never get a satisfactory answer.  As soon as people posit hypotheses as to what ghosts are the immediately unplug themselves from reality.  That is why I think *if* ghosts are real they aren't conscious and they do not interact with the world around them.  The only viable explanation that comes to my mind is they are some sort of inanimate artifact.  But even this explanation is complete hooey.

Answer 9

At the very least our own DNA carries all of the information needed for intelligent conversation. The energy stored in our brain is part of the connection to our soul or spirit energy. You could say the part of the world that we occupy is a manifestation of the spirit plane.

If the spirit response is directly related to the question, then you have proof of something more than we could explain by theory alone.

We fall under the assumption that the type of communication that you and I are used to can be classified as "intelligent", in essence what we try to make the spirit do must be difficult since there is no physical body or vocal chords or brain left for it to communicate at our level.

I think it would be possible that in order for a spirit to project it's "voice", part of that message would actually resonate from inside our own minds ( a spirit can pluck your mental "vocal" chords).

Spirits can also be picked up "vocally" on tape - think of a vinyl record or even CD viewed on an electron microscope, there are peaks and valleys on the medium but no sound until you "play" the recording under a stylus or a laser and transmit to a "speaker". Spirits possibly can vibrate the air in the same manner and cause their sounds to be recorded.

Answer 10

Think of the soul, or the idea of the soul.The word "ghost" usually refers to the spirit or soul. Many believe that the soul is essentially the inner essence of a living being, and  many cultures and religions believe that the soul is the unification of one's sense of identity. They are considered to be immortal.  That being the case, once someone has died, their soul would carry on the haunting.  An extension of the once living person, so I guess that you could say that if the once living person was intelligent, then their ghost would be too.

Answer 11

For that matter ghosts would have to have some mass to interact with our world in any way which would be noticable by us.

1) If ghosts had mass, they would be detectable, and would no longer be in the realm of paranormal, they would be a known and understood part of our world.

2) What are orbs? Ghosts which are very close to the lens, and reflected in the flash. So many ghost investigators insist that orbs are ghosts and not dust. Therefor ghosts must be the size of a particle of dust and get our attention by flying very close to camera lens, and getting inside recording equipment.

The whole notion of the mechanics of ghosts with mass can get very silly. Of course the logic will always end up pointing to the idea that ghosts are impossible with what we know of the universe.

Answer 12

The seer of the ghost is the keeper of the ghost so to speak, my theory, because without someone seeing one, it wouldn't exist, perhaps?....take care....

Answer 13

the perfect answer to this question, is; Ghost are lost emotions and unfinished business of dead people.  Who in fact had brains and ambitions in life.  When a pleasant grandmother, who loved her granddaughter more than life, is seen gently standing over the bed of a young girl, what is happening is this.  The grandmother's love energy is forever existent, (as energy always is), therefore no matter who is in that room, the love energy of the grandmother will forever be loving the child in that bed or room, or house.

On the other end of the spectrum.  If there is a horrible fight in a house and one ends up dead in the heat of hate.  That hate energy will forever exist in that place.  A ghost will always slam that door that keeps the killer in the other room.  

Whatever the person does in life they will do in death.  Energy can not be created or destroyed, you know.

Something else to think about is the haunting minus the ghost.  Example is a slamming door.  A fight between lovers is so intense that she slams the door with such energy, that the energy never leaves that spot.  The feeling of strive or a slamming door will forever exist there.

Answer 14

Sometimes it is best to just say."good question,I don't know"

Answer 15

Do the ghosts actually exist? They are totally fictitious, product of minds of 'enemies of humanity'.

Answer 16

I never thought about this before...so I gave you a star!!Good question.!  IDK....BUT....God is a spirit...and He had to talk when He gave the 10 Commandments to Moses...and told Noah to build an ark. etc. I don't know if He said it out loud or just in strong thoughts...but surely God has a brain.There were many Biblical figures who spoke to people after they died and were in "spirit". There have been many reported visions of "saints" appearing and talking to people. Also, angels are said to have talked to people. Maybe it's a different kind of brain than what we have. Maybe we have to have this complicated one because we have bodies. If after you die..you have "spiritual" arms and legs...then why not spiritual brains? Or maybe they don't need brains..they just "know".

Your guess is as good as mine!

EDIT..paranem...That's a pretty good idea...feels possible to me

Answer 17

It's very simple. Ghosts have brains and bodies, but they exist in alternate dimensions which only overlap our own under special circumstances where we see them in spirit form. Simple science!