Do you believe in ghosts?

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 10:16AM

endacl wrote: »

Would explain why only isolated rednecks fall victim to alien abduction too. And why Bigfoot and Nessie are never photographed using a camera with a descent autofocus capability and a quality long lens...

Putting alien abduction aside, the fact that we (humans) exist and the mind-boggling numbers re size of the universe would suggest that one is on firm enough ground saying that aliens probably do exist.

Re bigfoot (and ghosts) I'm reminded of the line (not sure from what):

"Heh, it's bigfoot. Quick, get our crappiest, least reliable camera."

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:17AM

kneemos wrote: »

What do you interpret as true then?Just things that don't interfere with your view of the world?

Your brain is a pattern recognition machine and most of it's job is to filter out information that would be too disorientating if it was included in our model of reality

Simple things like colours and light. The colour of your shirt depends on the light conditions which are constantly changing. The brain smoothes out these changes automatically to give a more consistent picture and the colours you see are dependent on the colours around them just as much as they depend on the wavelength of light that reaches your eyes.

kneemos · 29-04-2014 10:27AM

Akrasia wrote: »

Your brain is a pattern recognition machine and most of it's job is to filter out information that would be too disorientating if it was included in our model of reality

Simple things like colours and light. The colour of your shirt depends on the light conditions which are constantly changing. The brain smoothes out these changes automatically to give a more consistent picture and the colours you see are dependent on the colours around them just as much as they depend on the wavelength of light that reaches your eyes.

What's that got to do with the existence or not of ghosts?

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:30AM

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Putting alien abduction aside, the fact that we (humans) exist and the mind-boggling numbers re size of the universe would suggest that one is on firm enough ground saying that aliens probably do exist.

Yes and no
There is also the argument that if intelligent life was common, then the universe should have been colonised by now and there should be ample evidence of extra-tarrestrial intelligence. (Fermi paradox)

The argument is quite strong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

The Sun is a young star. There are billions of stars in the galaxy that are billions of years older;
some of these stars probably have Earth-like planets[2] which, if the Earth is typical, may develop intelligent life;
presumably, some of these civilizations will develop interstellar travel, a technology Earth is investigating even now, such as that used in the proposed 100 Year Starship;
at any practical pace of interstellar travel, the galaxy can be completely colonized in a few tens of millions of years.

Pumpkinseeds · 29-04-2014 10:32AM

Yes. I'm not sure if I believe in hauntings as such, maybe it's a dimensional thing and what we think of as ghosts think we're ghosts.

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:32AM

kneemos wrote: »

What's that got to do with the existence or not of ghosts?

Just because you think you've seen a ghost doesn't mean that there is a ghost to be seen.

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:35AM

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Yes. I'm not sure if I believe in hauntings as such, maybe it's a dimensional thing and what we think of as ghosts think we're ghosts.

If there are particles or images capable of coming into our dimension from a hypothetical parallel dimension, then there would be so much more evidence of this than just a few ghostly apparitions

It is not plausible in any way at all if you think about it for more than a few seconds.

kneemos · 29-04-2014 10:35AM

Akrasia wrote: »

Just because you think you've seen a ghost doesn't mean that there is a ghost to be seen.

Doesn't mean there's not.

Pumpkinseeds · 29-04-2014 10:36AM

Akrasia wrote: »

If there are particles or images capable of coming into our dimension from a hypothetical parallel dimension, then there would be so much more evidence of this than just a few ghostly apparitions

It is not plausible in any way at all if you think about it for more than a few seconds.

Nah, I'm happy with my own opinions, thanks all the same:p

obriendj · 29-04-2014 10:38AM

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Yes. I'm not sure if I believe in hauntings as such, maybe it's a dimensional thing and what we think of as ghosts think we're ghosts.

like that Nicole Kidman movie?

endacl · 29-04-2014 10:39AM

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Yes. I'm not sure if I believe in hauntings as such, maybe it's a dimensional thing and what we think of as ghosts think we're ghosts.

You just swan in here, with your fancypants suggestion of multiverses?!? Expecting to be taken seriously?? Not in this universe m'dear. Try two universes over...

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 10:42AM

Akrasia wrote: »

Yes and no
There is also the argument that if intelligent life was common, then the universe should have been colonised by now and there should be ample evidence of extra-tarrestrial intelligence. (Fermi paradox)

The argument is quite strong.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox

So it may be that a Creator only created us. The numbers and absence of alien neighbours would appear to suggest that we're unique anyway...

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 10:43AM

obriendj wrote: »

like that Nicole Kidman movie?

"The Others" I think

endacl · 29-04-2014 10:44AM

I Heart Internet wrote: »

So it may be that a Creator only created us. The numbers and absence of aline neighbours would appear to suggest that we're unique anyway...

Ok. I see where the openness to 'just filling in the gaps' might be coming from...

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:44AM

kneemos wrote: »

Doesn't mean there's not.

Anyone who can get credible concrete scientific evidence for ghosts will win a nobel prize and change the world forever.

Until this happens, ghosts, goblins and fairys are fantasy. Good for bedtime stories but not something adults should actually believe in.

kneemos · 29-04-2014 10:48AM

Akrasia wrote: »

Anyone who can get credible concrete scientific evidence for ghosts will win a nobel prize and change the world forever.

Until this happens, ghosts, goblins and fairys are fantasy. Good for bedtime stories but not something adults should actually believe in.

Have an open sceptical mind on?

kingchess · 29-04-2014 10:50AM

why do ghosts wear clothes?.if I said I saw an old style dress floating across a dark room you would try and come up with a rational explanation for it, also how come we do not see as many leprechauns around the place these days??

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 10:53AM

kneemos wrote: »

Have an open sceptical mind on?

An open and sceptical mind is open to change opinion once evidence is provided. There's no evidence for ghosts, therefore, any sceptic worth his salt will disbelieve in ghosts and only re-consider if suitable evidence is presented

kneemos · 29-04-2014 10:56AM

The Abroriginals say they can see their dead ancestors like they were real people.
Maybe we're just out of touch and all of these abilities are normal.

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 11:00AM

kingchess wrote: »

...also how come we do not see as many leprechauns around the place these days??

Wifi I suppose. They're scared of wifi.

wretcheddomain · 29-04-2014 11:09AM

If ghosts occupy a supernatural realm, then how do we see them with our puny natural eyes?

Also, is it just a coincidence that all of these phenomena are "scary" i.e. ghosts, poltergeists, banshees etc.

Why is it never a happy phenomenon that people invent?

I guess because scarier makes it more mysterious and a better story.

endacl · 29-04-2014 11:11AM

wretcheddomain wrote: »

If ghosts occupy a supernatural realm, then how do we see them with our puny natural eyes?

Homeopathy!

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 11:13AM

wretcheddomain wrote: »

If ghosts occupy a supernatural realm, then how do we see them with our puny natural eyes?

Also, is it just a coincidence that all of these phenomena are "scary" i.e. ghosts, poltergeists, banshees etc.

Why is it never a happy phenomenon that people invent?

I guess because scarier makes it more mysterious and a better story.

I guess the belief is that we normally don't see them "with our natural eyes", but only get brief glimpses, for some reason.

Some ghost stories are happy I think - people talk of seeing kindly relatives, etc, etc

Spring Onion · 29-04-2014 11:24AM

Don't all Catholics have to answer yes because of the Holy Ghost?

Spring Onion · 29-04-2014 11:24AM

Akrasia wrote: »

None of those were caused by ghosts, Everything that can not be easily explained was caused by the invisible dragon

Puff?

maxwell smart · 29-04-2014 11:33AM

obriendj wrote: »

like that Nicole Kidman movie?

I Heart Internet wrote: »

"The Others" I think

Surely Days of Thunder? Didn't that star a frankly unbelievable leading actor who may or may not occupy our plane of existence? Like a ghost?

Akrasia · 29-04-2014 11:40AM

Spring Onion wrote: »

Don't all Catholics have to answer yes because of the Holy Ghost?

And angels and saints and demons and all the other magical floaty invisible stuff that appear in scripture

Except in the old testament the angels were physical creatures capable of being raped (sodom and gomorrah were apparently destroyed partially because the townspeople wanted to rape two angels that had visited.)

kneemos · 29-04-2014 11:44AM

Akrasia wrote: »

And angels and saints and demons and all the other magical floaty invisible stuff that appear in scripture

Except in the old testament the angels were physical creatures capable of being raped (sodom and gomorrah were apparently destroyed partially because the townspeople wanted to rape two angels that had visited.)

Sex with an angle is a big no no apparently.End of the world stuff.

I Heart Internet · 29-04-2014 11:45AM

kneemos wrote: »

Sex with an angle is a big no no apparently.End of the world stuff.

Unless it's one of those right angles?

jimgoose · 29-04-2014 11:49AM

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Unless it's one of those right angles?

Or a cute one?? <badum-TISH!!>

Do you believe in ghosts?

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