Is it so hard to believe or accept the Paranormal?Or the idea that that something so far fetched could exist?

Question

look back over the years and years of science and what has it shown us?It has shown us that one persons idea or belief or experience could become a proven fact.History is filled with a persons belief in a idea that was brought into reality.from electricity to flight to walking on the moon the list goes on . who we are what we have was based on a persons belief in his idea's And his world was filled with skeptics who ridiculed him for his belief.It is hard to believe that we as a whole Have not learned a thing. Is it so hard to accept that just because we cannot see it ,or hear it that something cannot exist? Why can't we embrace the fact that there are people who are acting on a belief in something to prove or disprove the the existance of the paranormal using science and technology.I would ask that if a person has never researched or investigated the paranormal don't be so quick to judge those who have.Keep an open mind.Is one persons idea that hard to believe?

Answer 1

AGREED....have you read Zammit's "Lawyer Presents the Case for an Afterlife"?

Answer 2

Yes and no. It has gotten to the point in our day to day world that the truth is not only hard to find it is dang near impossible to separate from the daily trash served up by the New York Times et al. Best stick to your own experience - not belief. Those who have had direct experiences and share them are the closest you can come to what's out there.

Answer 3

I totaly agree!  How can people be so closed mind?  I know there are spirits, ghosts, whatever you want to call them.  I can't pretend to know how they contact us, but strange things happen to me and my boyfriend in this house and I know it's not normal.

Answer 4

Bear in mind that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.  The human brain searches for correlations, even when none exist, so it's vitally important to apply Occam's Razor before accepting anything on faith.

Answer 5

The existence of ghosts is as plain as the mustache on my face.

Answer 6

I guess its like asking me to believe that a hamburger came to life and started talking to you. Then backing it up by saying, according to ancient japanese legends, hamburgers can come to life and talk. Also several tv commercial depict talking hamburgers. Science has not been able to prove otherwise, therefore you should accept the possibility.

Where should we draw the line where reason and logic crosses over into old wives tales and rumors?

Answer 7

"History is filled with a persons belief in a idea that was brought into reality."

An idea may lead to conducting an experiment, but that idea is not responsible for something being considered real or true.  That claim can only be made after the idea is subjected to experiments which yield evidence and data that do not contradict the idea.  The idea, supported with preliminary data, must then survive the scrutiny of peer review.

"Is it so hard to accept that just because we cannot see it ,or hear it that something cannot exist?"

It's impossible to prove a negative, but lacking any empirical data of any sort, how can you maintain that something *does* exist?  What are you basing your claim on?  If you claim something is real then you bear the burden of proof.  Lacking any evidence whatsoever that something exists then it's not unreasonable to assume such a thing does not exist.

"Keep an open mind."

I see that phrase a lot when being asked to believe something completely lacking in evidence solely on the word of someone else.  I'm sorry, but this is not good enough.  I *do* keep my mind open to phenomena which seem possible or probable.

I am very curious to learn more about that which I do not understand.  But when you take something like ghosts, which *have* been studied and investigated to no avail, then I'm afraid my patience has worn out.  I have seen far too many investigators using shoddy methods and far too many people who are not investigating at all, but rather seeking evidence confirming their belief.

I am open to the idea of ghosts, but I must base my current opinion on evidence at hand.  There is no evidence, therefore I must conclude that--barring any evidence emerging in the future--I am quite comfortable living under the assumption that ghosts are not real.

Answer 8

I don't think it would be hard to believe at all if there was actual scientific evidence for it. What I mean by scientific evidence is a body of empirical and scientifically valid theoretical knowledge with experimental confirmation that can be independently and repeatedly reproduced. So far, we have nothing even close to that in the paranormal.

But given the overwhelming lack of evidence despite the intense desire and struggle of paranormal enthusiasts to produce it, and given that the ideas of ghosts, telekinesis, etc., profoundly stretch our well-confirmed scientific knowledge in the realm of physics, it is reasonable to conclude that these things are very, very improbable.

psiexploration says that the paranormal should be taken to mean "science hasn't yet explained it", but in reality it is "science hasn't yet observed it.". There is no need for an explanation for something that isn't even known to exist in the first place.

So does this mean that paranormal things are impossible? No. Does it mean that paranormalists should be ridiculed? No. But an "open mind" does not mean rejecting rationality and reason, and decidedly unscientific ideas being masqueraded (either deliberately or nondeliberately) as scientific ones are not only counter-productive but potentially dangerous. They need to be exposed for what they are -- mere conjecture and faith-based belief, and not science.

Answer 9

I think if you look at my question on Einstein and the answers you will have some idea of how difficult it is for some people to even think in open minded terms.

Further, I don't think there will ever be proof (as science seldom provides this) but overwhelming evidence with consistently positive results may one day be possible.

I also think the word paranormal is a hot button and something should replace it. Parapsychology chose psi for human abilities like ESP and PK. Paranormal seems to mean to many people "laws of science don't apply" rather than simply "science hasn't yet explained it"

Best wishes on your continuing quest.

Answer 10

Ron, I used to take offense with those who do not believe.   After all, you can only be called nuts so many times.  But it has been my experience that those who are skeptics are the ones with the most to gain.  Personal experiences, eye witnesses and the occassional good picture or EVP is such a thrill to see/experience.  It just lets me know that when this life is over, it is not really over.  How bland must be the lives of those who do not believe.

Answer 11

Belief in the paranormal is not, in and of itself, a problem.

However, when a person tries to impose her belief system upon my belief system with nothing more that "I believe this to be true", that's where I draw the line.

Also, if said person wants me (and, IMO the country) to spend money (or other resources) on it, she had better have some objective evidence that she's right.

Finally, you'd be surprised at how few times a single person's belief proved to be fact.  The examples you site (electricity, flight, walking on the moon) were not 'single person' ideas.  The only 'single person' part of them is that there was often a first person (Look at flight... Sam Langley came very close to being the first to achieve manned, powered flight).

Answer 12

the mass majority of ppl DO believe in something they cannot see or test scientifically they call it GOD. But if u say u have seen things such as orbs or ghosts those SAME ppl will tell u i r crazy. I dont understand either my friend. But i will tell u this once they see it they can never go back.

Answer 13

The difference between an open-mind and gullibility is not subtle.It is a big one.Why can't you see the difference?I want to believe,so I will.that is not being open-minded.

Answer 14

I believe in ghost because i have seen no evidence to suggest that they do not exist.

Answer 15

Good question.  But I have a few better ones.

1.  Why are they so zealously apposed to the idea?

2.  Why do some think ghosts are anti-God?

3.  Why do they act like the world will spin off it's axis if there are ghosts or paranormal events?

4.  Are they afraid of ghosts?  

5.  And if they don't believe in the paranormal then what the heck are they doing in this forum?

6.  Do they think they can change the minds of people have seen ghosts or paranormal events?

7.  Why don't they go someplace where they are wanted?