Who is more open-minded?Those that believe in the paranormal, or those that don't.?

Question

Hanna,you say I ask questions to cause tension.I say they're meant to make people think.Maybe in a direction they don't want to go, but they're honest questions.What I believe doesn't invalidate them.It seems it does cause people to be insulted.That's on them not me.Name calling I've never done.Although I've been called some hum-dingers.My answers will change when the questions do.Or,someone supplies some real information.

Answer 1

those that acknowledge that they don't know everything, and that there may be a spirit world.

Answer 2

Those who believe in the paranormal are more open-minded and those that don't are not because they don't believe.

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Answer 3

"Only mediocre minds dismiss that which they do not understand."

I am open to all...and I am clairvoyant.

Answer 4

I would have to say that the ones that beleive in the paranormal would have to be the ones with the more opened mind. I am possitive of it.

Answer 5

It seems the more I learn, the less I understand.

Ignorance it seems is bliss!

Scientists used to see the world as flat - and people understood that, and didn't worry about it.

Then they say it's round and set about trying to explain how the sun is in fact the centre of our universe and we spin around it. So we accept that, and all is ok.

Then they say there are black holes out there, and we get a little bit worried, but still think they're too far away to worry about.

Then they say they've calculated the mass of our universe, and there's a lot of mass lost somewhere..... It's dark matter - so we can't see it.

- So now we're back to a universe that we don't understand at all, and have the scientists to blame for that!

As we may never fully understand what exactly is going on, I would say if you're happy with what you've learned so far, you are closed minded to other possibilities.

- Call it paranormal - undiscovered or plain unknown - I'll believe there is more going on than I can explain.

Answer 6

It's a hard question.  I don't believe in the paranormal, but I'm open to investigating any evidence that might change my mind.  I came to my conclusion after looking at the evidence.  Looking at the supporting evidence on both sides requires an open mind, and I think a lot of the people who believe in that stuff never bothered to look for another explanation.

Also, you have to be careful not to leave your mind SO open that people throw trash in it.  :)

Here's a quote for the guy who answered above me, from Issac Asimov:

"…when people thought the earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."

Answer 7

Zachary,

Maybe Peter D or TR can help you see what it is you are doing and how wrong it is. I only hope.

It is almost impossible to read a question without your derogatory remarks against an innocent questioner on every single one.

It hurts me for those innocent people.

This will be my last moment on this site. I will say a warm goodbye to the many good people I have had the pleasure of honest debate with in the past months.

              I hope whatever it is you get out of it, is worth it. I do talk to others and you make them cry.

TR says it very diplomatically.  

I also believe what I see, but am open to new information. I won't be hoaxed, tricked or believe hearsay, but give me researched, documented information that can I can verify and I will accept it.



But Zachary, you always ask questions to cause more tension and create a divide. Anyone can see that. It fools no one.

You may want to look at yourself to see why you have such a problem with anyone that has a paranormal question. It is only a question, yet you act as if it is an attack upon your very being.

I do not even bother to read your replies anymore because they are always the same.  Not to further understanding but to create tension, to hurt and only to make yourself seem to be right. That is not an open mind by any means.

To have an open mind you must be someone who is receptive to new ideas or information.

It is a shame that you feel the need to choose sides and call names. I just wonder why you come every day only to do the negative things you do to the others.

I hope the best for you.

Answer 8

Not necessarily either.  

There is no legitimate, independently verifiable evidence for paranormal claims.  Those that believe in things with no real evidence, or take things on faith, think they are being open-minded when they are really being gullible and credulous.  

Be open-minded, but not so open that your brain falls out.

In other words, there is a limit to how open-minded one should be.  The example of gravity comes to mind - if you are about to step off a cliff, it's not a very good idea to be open-minded about gravity and think that you will not fall.

Scientists simultaneously engage in both open-minded, creative thinking as well as skeptical, critical thinking.

Try it.

Answer 9

Interesting question. As psiex said, there are probably a number of complicating factors here. One big factor is the different kinds of belief. There is belief based on faith, and then there is belief based on concrete data (e.g., scientific evidence). People can hold both kinds of belief at the same time.

There are other considerations. Those that do not believe in the paranormal may WANT to believe in something so potentially groundshaking, but logic may win out and due to lack of evidence they withhold that belief until the evidence comes in. Is that closed-mindedness?  Or, hypothetically you may have someone who steadfastly denies the supernatural realm yet has some kind of experience that unnerves him enough to get him to start believing. Is he open-minded? And is a paranormal believer open-minded if he dismisses out of hand the value of pursuing natural explanations before resorting to less likely supernatural ones?  

To wrap this up, I think it can go either way. You can have believers terribly closed-minded to non-supernatural explanations, and you can have skeptics who refuse to even consider evidence presented for the supernatural.

Answer 10

Neither, they're often both plain dogma.. Best option is to believe that each opinion warrants an even possibility, and that lets facts make it valid or not.

Answer 11

There are many more factors that go into a persons being open minded than just their belief or non belief about the paranormal.

I suspect that believers would score higher on the openness to experience factor of the NEO-PI (link below).

Michael Thalbourne (link below) has conducted some research in this area (personality factors and belief in the paranormal). I do not know if any study of just skeptics or even skeptics compared to believers has been undertaken but it would be interesting and well worthwhile in my opinion.

Answer 12

Whichever ones don't try to force their views off on the other side. ^_^

Answer 13

usual those who do believe. the reason why not so many people believe in any thing is because they're mind is closed.

Answer 14

the obvious answer is not the skeptic. Because more often than not, they are the ones,who under no circumstance , will bend to anything other than their centuries old arguments. I have sat here and read so many answers that absolutely had no thought what so ever put into them. Just same old answers from the same old people. And I have found it to be very funny how those who have no belief in anything paranormal have taken up squatters rights to hammer anything that anyone has to say about the paranormal. And if anyone even attempts to tie a scientific answer to anything paranormal, the skeptic/science/atheist people slam it like someone is edging their little piece of turf. I have only found one open minded skeptic on this site, that would be TR. I can say at least before he answers, he actually gives thought to what he is saying. I could go over to the science section and slam darned near everything in there.  There is an old adage here, its not just knowing how, but also knowing why. Think about that one sentence. One day, we may know how the universe is here, but do you think we will ever know why? Isnt knowing why as important as how? The skeptic has boxed themselves into a nice neat little subjective world that just does not exist in real life. You have closed your mind off to any explanation that does not fit into a nice neat little pattern. I know, I came from a skeptics background. There was a time I ignored everythng that happened around me. Found stupid explanations, gave stupid excuses, and chided those who did believe in anything that was outside what I considered the normal world. Not everything travels along the same path as the rest of us do.

EDIT: Eri having trash thrown into ones mind is what happens at most universities. They are one sided institutions that are full of trash dumping PHDs that think they are far better than the rest of those around them. Yet because of science, we live in a world where every turn is complete destruction of this planet.