Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters

Question

Have these shows deluded people into thinking that temperature variations and EMF fluctuations are valid scientific evidence of ghosts? Why does everyone think they can watch this show and then sit in a house and cry "ghost" at every draft, and no one will doubt them? How many hours are wasted by gullible trusting people with poor critical thinking skills because they watch these shows and think "I can do that, these guys are plumbers, you don't have to know anything about science"?

Answer 1

You have to remember that anything you see on TV is just entertainment.  You are right some people have a hard time with what is real and what is not.  They did a survey at a collage after the movie Helter Skelter  was shown on TV and over half the collage students thought they were seeing the real Charlie Manson in the movie!    

Answer 2

I don't believe there can be scientific evidence of the spiritual unless you are talking miracle.  But just because science can't prove it, doesn't mean its not real.  

Answer 3

It is obvious that you do not watch Ghost Hunters. TAPS teaches how to debunk. They, themselves, claim 80% of cases are misinterpretations. As for them being plumbers, yes they are plumbers but they also have 18 years of paranormal investigation behind them.

You can say that about all Paranormal television shows, including Ghost Hunters International, (who have no affiliation with Ghost Hunters), but it is not true when it comes to Ghost Hunters.

I do not watch Paranormal State, I tried to once but took it off after 5 minutes, it was too full of ****.

Answer 4

The Ghost Hunters say themselves in almost every show that this is NOT a proven scientific method. It's based on Theory. However one of their methods is to form a correlation between activity caught on camera, temperature fluctuations and EMF.

No they're not scientists, but they have brains and they are using them.

Paranomal State. This show is how should I say, kinda hokey. I don't discredit this kid for starting up a group that helps people, and that's all good and fine, but when things do happen they don't take it any further, they say "Ok something's here for sure." and they call up a priest of that chick gets her spell book out and they supposedly cleanse the house and leave.

Answer 5

I think what you have to realize is there are good shows such as ghost hunters who try to debunk their cases (which they do at least 75% of the time) and bad paranormal shows such as Paranormal state. And why to you care how much time people waste watching these shows? Cuz really it's no different than watching the WWF (which also claims to be real) or any other form of TV for the most part. People watch it for entertainment purposes and what they watch and enjoy is up to them. Who are you to judge....seriously? I am sure you spend time watching pointless, fake, entertainment television or movies too. Just so you know all those superhero movies you are watching...here's a little secret...the superheros are fake! lol

Answer 6

I've always wondered why Yahoo answers placed "paranormal" under science.  It literally means "beyond the range of normal experience or scientific definition"...  That's the dictionary for you.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that people commonly mistake what science is.  Science involves testing a hypothesis.  Because these television shows feature people using scientific equipment, most people believe that it is real science.  Unfortunately, it is the procedure, and not the equipment that defines science.

So, some plumbers with too much time on their hands get a great paying gig.

My biggest complaint is when pseudoscience is presented on a channel that is supposed to be dedicated to real science, or when pseudoscience is applied to things like... law.  I mean, who wants someone with an overactive imagination... er, psychic, telling the cops that you are a serial killer?

Cheers

Answer 7

Jason and Grant have said numerous times that there is no way to scientifically investigate the paranormal because no one even knows exactly what they should be looking for. They do confuse hypothesis with theory, like most non-scientists, but they seem to understand the difference between anecdotal evidence and scientific evidence.

I only watched Paranormal State once and they seemed to be relying very heavily on belief alone. I thought it was a little silly.

As for other paranormal investigation groups, they vary greatly in their opinions and methods. I know of a couple of groups that *stress* that there is nothing scientific in what they are doing. They admit that they are searching and learning as they go and hope to someday stumble across something that will open a whole new avenue of possibilities.

Maybe the question isn't "Is this scientific?" but "Are these people experiencing something that cannot be explained?". The fact that we don't understand a person's experience does not mean that they did not have that experience. If you see a strange creature in the woods it would not make sense for someone to say, "You couldn't have seen anything because it can't be scientifically explained!". That wouldn't make any more sense than if you said, "It has been proven to exist because I saw it!". Lack of scientific evidence does not invalidate an experience any more than an experience constitutes scientific evidence.  

Answer 8

Next time someone starts carrying on about James Randi being a magician not a scientist we'll have to remind them how highly regarded (by the believers) a pair of plumbers with some random scientific equipment are.  

Answer 9

im with Jane TAPS doesn't tell u it's haunted unless they have downright evidence!

Answer 10

i agree with Jane Says...!        T.A.P.S answer

T.A.P.S teach you how to debunk stuff they dont just say ghost to every orb or sound they hear or say! And as Jane says 80% of the cases are misinterpations! And yes they are plumbers but they have alot more paranormal experence than all of the people on the site put together!

As Grant & Jason said in one of the epsoides most Ghost Hunters groups just tell the owner of the place what they want to hear like "Ghost" and then collect a big sum of money! Ghost Hunters doesnot do that they investigatate and try to debunk the experences!

Ghost Believer

Answer 11

i see your point but sometimes its good to open up your mind to new things other then life here

Answer 12

1.  Yes

2.  They are completely daft

3.  Many

Answer 13

The difference between Ghost Hunters and Paranormal State is that Jason and Grant look to debunk the claims of the homeowner. And they usually will either physically fix the problem, or will tell the homeowner they have a problem in the home.

Ryan and Chip depend on their intuition, and then claim at the end of the show the house is no longer haunted because they said a prayer.

Some people were brought up in households where the parents instilled superstitious stories about religion, ghosts, and Ouija boards. So then when the kids grow up into adults, with those superstitions are still embedded in their psyche, and are scared to death of their own shadow.

So if they feel a draft, see a shadow, hear something off in another room, they assume they have a demon in the home.

There are logical explanations to a lot of "hauntings," but that's not what people want to hear.

Some want all the bells and whistles of a house exorcism to help them feel better.