What is your belief percentage ratio for unexplained phenomena?

Question

If you believe some unexplained phenomena occur, but have serious doubts about the rest, which percentage ratio would describe you? Would the ratio be 22% true and 78% BS? Or would it be 2% true and 98% BS? I anticipate a few 100% BS ratios as well. What's your ratio?

Answer 1

I believe 100% based on personal experiences I've had.

Answer 2

I would say i feel a good 90% of most unexplained/paranormal things are explainable if you look hard enough.

8% would fall into it being created by someone in order to lead to the conclusion that its unexplained or paranormal, creating fake pics, sounds, or showing fake evidence that only the creator would know for sure and thus couldnt be proved otherwise.

and a whopping 2% is probably completely unexplainable for one reason or another and would fall into the true catagory of unknown.

Answer 3

By unexplained do you mean paranormal? I've sure unexplained things are going on all the time, it doesn't mean they defy the laws of nature though, like UFO doesn't equal alien.

Answer 4

Incognito,

I see a difference between unexplained phenomena and unestablished phenomena. Telekinesis is neither explainable nor has it been established with sound evidence despite numerous attempts to do so. On the other hand, gravity is not completely explainable either but it is well established, testable and demonstrable, so I do believe in it. In fact, our theoretical knowledge of any phenomena is limited and at those limits we have to shrug our shoulders and admit there are still unexplained facets of our theory. That's why I reject the dictionary definition of paranormal as "unexplained phenomena". Often the English dictionary fails at adequately describing scientific concepts to the general public and here is one example. Basically all scientific phenomena is unexplained at some level. The SkepticWiki link below has a good discussion on this.

But I do understand you're talking about not just the unknown and the unexplainable, but that which is (so far) untestable and would seem to either transcend our experiences and scientific laws or violate them. Of those, I rate 0% belief that they are true. That does not necessarily mean 100% BS, as there is such a thing as being agnostic about it, neither belief in a claim nor denial. In fact, in science this is the default state when nothing is known to support either position.

But often much can be known about a paranormal claim, and I have little reservations about putting many specific paranormal claims in the BS category based on my knowledge of the natural world and human psychology. For example, I would put  psi balls, Indigo children and SLIders squarely in the BS category.

In general however, I prefer an agnostic approach to what is currently unknown (i.e., I neither believe nor deny) if the claim does not seem patently absurd. For example, I don't believe in UFO visitation but neither would I call it BS. It would seem plausible, though I'd need to see the evidence before I could say I believe it is true. However I am usually quick to recognize the BS of usurping science-sounding words and concepts to falsely support absurd claims, e.g., pretty much all New Agey concepts.

So if I'm forced to give numbers on this, here is what I'd say regarding all the paranormal claims I've ever heard:

0% belief

97% BS

3% neither belief nor BS

Answer 5

About 10% or so.

Answer 6

Purely depends on the presenter. I've known certain situations where everything that was done was 100% true paranormal.

Unexplainable to whom is the question? There are some weak minds out there that have never allowed themselves to admit to any unexplained phenomena. The reason, FEAR.

Science? Who gives a c**p? They're just reinventing or 'remembering the past', there isn't anything new being discovered it is only being re-presented.

There is a lot in science that they cannot explain but I don't hold it against them. Get over using science for a benchmark that is a losers tactic.

Einstein (Tesla wannabe), Newton, Galileo, and Tesla just to name a small fraction of people that did not measure success with science but exploited it for their own purposes.

Don't get hung up on this science thing you'll automatically take yourself out of the running to be one of the greats. If science doesn't prove it then science is wrong and so are all  the slouches that don't have any spiritual belief.

Of those mentioned above we'd still be hand cranking our generators, flight would not have been conceived, but h**l we wouldn't need telescopes because the world would still be flat! Get over the limitations of science as these men did, it will only dumb you down.

Answer 7

50 percent

Answer 8

98% BS or misinterpretation, I think it is important to include misinterpretation. Also way too many people lie or exaggerate.

2% truly paranormal, I am truly fascinated in that 2%. I have had an experience.

Answer 9

Based on the investigations that our group has done, about 75% have natural causes (or something that we can explain) about 10% can be put to those who would actively seek to "fool" us with faked activity, so out of 100% 15 percent of the time things we have witnessed or have evidence of remain unexplained.

Answer 10

I am close to the 100 percent BS ratio.  I do believe that unexplained things happen, but are almost completely obscured by misunderstandings, delusions, fraud, and lies.  This is in part because actual unexplained phenomena is somewhat rare, and because false claims due to the above are exceedingly common.  If someone really wants to believe they are not going to look for more accepted explainations of what has happened to them.  There is a substantial history of proven fraud in the paranormal, and one must ask themselves why that is.  Good question, I enjoy seeing the reasoning people have put out for their answers.

Answer 11

I'd like to be 50-50, but truthfully I'd have to say that I'm more like 40% true and 60% BS.

I guess it depends on the exact situation, but I think I'm more inclined not to believe.

Answer 12

In my entire life I've only encountered 10 events that I would realistically call paranormal. Out of all the REAL events that happen everyday, I'd say that makes for a .001 or less event/reality ratio. Small, but considerable. Stuff happens!

  For all the hours one spends behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, the accident/safe driving ratio is similar--and we're required to have insurance!

Answer 13

Things like UFOs(aliens and Bigfoot,I'll go 2% true.I leave that 2% because I really hope one day we find out they exist.Ghosts psychics,demons etc.99.5%BS.From personal expereience every time,over many years,I've checked into a claim nothing was there.I have very little reason to believe the next one I hear.

Answer 14

I wish none of it was true and could be explained as natural. But, I rarely see anything explained scientifically. When something IS  "explained"..it's usually a puny explanation.I think I believe 50/50. Even if I only believed 1%...there's that 1% to contend with.