Poll: Do you believe in the paranormal? If not, have you ever wanted to?

[happyninja42]

No and yes. I would love to be able to use the Force for example, or fly like Superman, or use magic like Harry Dresden. But I'd also like to have faster than light travel and cyberpunk style technology.

But we don't have those, and never will have the supernatural stuff, since it doesn't exist. But the part of me that enjoys cool shit like that will always "want it to be real". However that part of me isn't in charge.

 

[MacLeod]

Yes.Everything is possible if you believe

 

[aba1]

Personally I am a atheist who hates being atheist. So if I could be convinced there is a afterlife I would be overjoyed but thus far there has been absolutely no reasonable enough proof to pull me over unfortunately. I hope one day I can be proven wrong I would be really overjoyed I find the concept of death unnerving.

 

[K12]

Yes.Everything is possible if you believe

I believe that you are wrong.

Personally I'm perfectly happy with fantasy being fantasy and reality being reality. The universe is under no obligation to conform to our expectations or wishes, you have to take the world the way it is. As it turns out the universe is pretty fucking amazing in it's own with lots of weirdness, mystery and intricate beauty that makes "ghosts did it" seem really shallow and boring by comparison.

There's an unlimited number of things that you can imagine and create no matter what the real world is like. Fantasy is wonderful even if it has literally no bearing on the real world (though lots of good fantasy can illuminate things about reality too).

I love paranormal and religious beliefs just because I think they're fascinating to dissect and understand from a psychological perspective. A lot of these beliefs really cut to the core of some of our mental biases and fundamental desires and worries about life and death.

And of course if there's ever some solid evidence for any paranormal claim (whatever that might look like) then it won't be paranormal anymore it'll just add to our understanding of the normal.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

I consider my self a rational enough person with a good grasp on reality. Most of the time paranormal things to my mind come off as complete hogwash. Still I'm not discounting possibilities, which is why I will never go to the Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield Nevada and insult the ghosts that are said to live there. There is enough evidence to support their existence and that they're very vengeful, that's more than enough for me to want to keep a safe distance.

See, that's exactly why I would want to spend the night in the Overlook Hotel, or something. Either ghosts and spirits exist or they don't, so it would be interesting whatever happened. If ghosts don't exist, then it would just be a cool night in a spooky historical place. If ghosts do exist, then I would finally know for certain. Even vengeful ghosts, while traumatizing, aren't likely to kill anyone, even according to paranormal investigators. So, if I ever had the chance, I absolutely would check it out.

 

[Scarim Coral]

Yes to a certain degrees. I mean what is the science to behind ghost? Granted that water story that the OP is complete bull. (I mean there are time when it can be explained while other times it cannot unless proven with strong evidence and logic.)

 

[Fox12]

I used to, when I was a christian. And no, I'm not just taking a swipe at God. I'm talking about demons, ghosts, and curses. I would actually go and visit haunting grounds, or try and catch something on camera. I saw some pretty gnarly stuff, but nothing that probably couldn't be explained.

Now I'm an atheist and a rationalist, so even though my friend will drag me off to these places, I don't actually believe in it. It's fun to hang with him, but the experience has definitely lost its luster. There was this feeling that you were looking into things that you weren't supposed to know about. Now I just see it as silly superstition. Sometimes I miss that sense of wonder, but overall I'm happier as I am. Science is pretty gnarly too, you know.

 

[DefunctTheory]

I mean what is the science to behind ghost?

1. Houses make noises
2. Human beings often perceive things through their senses they can't explain instinctively
3. The human brain, for all its magnificence and intelligence, is a 'good enough' organ, as are all evolved organs, and thus cannot be trusted 100% of the time
4. The brain is subject to fault, even in healthy specimens, and thus cannot be trusted 100% of the time

(I mean there are time when it can be explained while other times it cannot unless proven with strong evidence and logic.)

That's not how reason and logic work. You have to prove something exist, you can't throw out 'it was ghost' then stubbornly demand evidence to the contrary. You start with the null position and work out, not the other way around.

 

[Scarim Coral]

That's not how reason and logic work. You have to prove something exist, you can't throw out 'it was ghost' then stubbornly demand evidence to the contrary. You start with the null position and work out, not the other way around.

In that case what about religions (beliving in god) or is that something we shouldn't tread on?

 

[IOwnTheSpire]

It depends on how you define paranormal. I've generally been agnostic on most of these issues, whether it's gods, aliens, etc.

However, I will say that I do not believe that the human consciousness, all our feelings, thoughts, experiences, are just the result of chemicals in our bodies. I feel there has to something else going on here beyond our current understanding, and sure, I can't prove it or explain it, but then there's a lot of things science is still trying to figure out.

In regards to what happens after we die, I've found that Jean-Luc Picard's viewpoint sums up my feelings:

 

[DefunctTheory]

That's not how reason and logic work. You have to prove something exist, you can't throw out 'it was ghost' then stubbornly demand evidence to the contrary. You start with the null position and work out, not the other way around.

In that case what about religions (beliving in god) or is that something we shouldn't trend on?

That's probably something we should try to skirt around, though it's quite obvious that's a major part of the discussion here.

But the short answer is yes.

 

[CeeBod]

I've been contemplating on why do people join cults and write conspiracy theories.

Are you asking whether cults have a certain sects appeal? ...


.. I'll get my coat!



OT: I personally think that people are too quick to pass judgement on anything "paranormal". Granted most of it's probably a crock of shit, but there may be something that can lead us to greater understanding of something that's real, scientific and measurable buried in there. Sprites ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_%28lightning%29 ) are an example of something that looked paranormal at first, but is just upper atmosphere weather phenomena. String theory predicts multiple parrallel dimensions that might influence our own - that could cause all manner of strangeness, but no-one want to investigate it and be dismissed by the wider scientific community as a crank.

 

[sky14kemea]

I mostly believe in paranormal stuff, just not to the crazy extent that movies go to with it.

I'm pretty adamant that I've seen my Uncles ghost. Twice in the same place at different times is enough to make me re-think my "It's just my eyes being pricks" theory.

Obviously I have no recorded evidence, so I'm fine when people call bullshit.

I'm kinda flaky on most other paranormal stuff. I'm just sort of waiting around to see anything before I start believing in anything actively.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

I consider my self a rational enough person with a good grasp on reality. Most of the time paranormal things to my mind come off as complete hogwash. Still I'm not discounting possibilities, which is why I will never go to the Goldfield Hotel in Goldfield Nevada and insult the ghosts that are said to live there. There is enough evidence to support their existence and that they're very vengeful, that's more than enough for me to want to keep a safe distance.

See, that's exactly why I would want to spend the night in the Overlook Hotel, or something. Either ghosts and spirits exist or they don't, so it would be interesting whatever happened. If ghosts don't exist, then it would just be a cool night in a spooky historical place. If ghosts do exist, then I would finally know for certain. Even vengeful ghosts, while traumatizing, aren't likely to kill anyone, even according to paranormal investigators. So, if I ever had the chance, I absolutely would check it out.

The ghosts at the Goldfield Hotel have been known to cause serious injuries, as they're prone to doing things like throw rocks, bricks, and do things like knocking down ladders. They've tried numerous times have the place remodeled to have it reopened and every single crew hired to remodel has quit because of the ghosts. So I wouldn't advise staying a night there, the ghosts there might just kill you if they get the chance.

 

[9tailedflame]

Eh, it depend on what you mean by paranormal. Do i believe there's still forces out there we don't yet understand? Absolutely! Do i believe that there's things we won't ever be able to contemplate on a scientific level? No, not really. It really depends on exactly what you're asking in detail here.

As for the general sentiment of the OP, i think everyone wants to latch on to something, even if it's not sensible. I think reality is pretty brutal for a lot of people, and it can be therapeutic for them to believe that reality isn't what they've been lead to believe it is with things like magic water and the like.

 

[Creator002]

That's not how reason and logic work. You have to prove something exist, you can't throw out 'it was ghost' then stubbornly demand evidence to the contrary. You start with the null position and work out, not the other way around.

In that case what about religions (beliving in god) or is that something we shouldn't tread on?

I'm going to tread on it a bit.
As Accursed Theory said, yes. It works the same way. Positive claims (there is a god) always need to provide the proof. The rejection of that claim (I don't believe you) does not, as they are not making a claim on a god's existence, just questioning the validity of the claim.
An example could be "my wife is so flexible, she can twist herself into the shape of a pretzel" and someone saying, "Well, I don't believe that, I'd need to see proof." It's the person claiming the wife can twist that needs to provide the proof.

However, if someone says "there is a god" and someone else says "there is no god" then BOTH sides have the burdon of proof as both make a claim.

 

[DementedSheep]

No I don't believe in paranormal stuff although that doesn't mean my brain doesn't sometimes trip up and send a spike of fear over a random sound or shadow shape, logic and not believing in ghosts be damned. I think most reports of paranormal stuff is people reading to much into things (like noise in houses) and our brains screwing up. When you look at it it's amazing how much our brains just wing it and fill in missing information.

Is believing in something otherworldly part of human nature? I think it's a natural reaction to not having an obvious answer for something. We're also wired to find patterns in things and will often see a pattern that don't actually exist then try to find and explanation for it. Should we move past it? yeah probably but you can't force that and I don't know we ever will.

Would I like to believe it? Well, I suppose it would make things a bit more exciting if it was real. This is video game forum which also goes hand in hand with liking sic fi and fantasy, most people here have probably fantasied about some of that being real at some point.

Although I suppose some people would class me as believing in paranormal stuff because I think there're probably aliens (beyond microbes) in some form somewhere in the universe, I just don't think they're a super advanced race that is secretly coming to earth and probing people or that we've had any contact with aliens at all.

 

[Just Ebola]

No and no. If the paranormal did exist, politics would get worked into it and I'd hate everything to do with it. So probably for the best it stays in the realm of fiction where there won't be years of arguing about it and Donald Trump will never comment on it.

I'm really trying to envision what kind of scenario you're afraid of. I get the sense that you're frustrated by things being over-politicized, but that just makes this comment feel even more out of place. Why respond to the over-exposed state of politics by trying to shoehorn politics into yet another place it doesn't belong? Are you worried about the US building a spectral wall to keep out non-corporeal immigrants? I understand that taking swipes at Trump is a fashionable thing to do, but why not at least save it for someplace where it makes at least a little bit of sense?

Back on topic: Every time this topic comes up I feel a bit silly because I can't join in with the majority who are proudly skeptical about everything they haven't personally laid eyes on. I think I'm a bit bias because I've gone to great lengths to see something paranormal. I've visited every "haunted" locale within a reasonable distance to see if there was anything to it. I've visited the Marfa lights on several occasions, taken numerous ghost tours, visited haunted hotels, the sites of grisly murders, stood on the grounds of mass body burnings and even wandered a few graveyards at night, pausing to touch as many headstones as I could.

I'm not saying I've seen spirits manifest in front of me and hand me a business card, but I've seen enough to know there's something to it. I just get really indignant when the subject comes up and some people are so eager to start squawking about how logical they are, dismissing something as nonsense when they haven't put in their due diligence.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

I've been contemplating on why do people join cults and write conspiracy theories.

Are you asking whether cults have a certain sects appeal? ...


.. I'll get my coat!



OT: I personally think that people are too quick to pass judgement on anything "paranormal". Granted most of it's probably a crock of shit, but there may be something that can lead us to greater understanding of something that's real, scientific and measurable buried in there. Sprites ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprite_%28lightning%29 ) are an example of something that looked paranormal at first, but is just upper atmosphere weather phenomena. String theory predicts multiple parrallel dimensions that might influence our own - that could cause all manner of strangeness, but no-one want to investigate it and be dismissed by the wider scientific community as a crank.

Except calling it paranormal suggests the source would not be upper atmosphere weather pattern. It's one thing to investigate a phenomenon and another to believe the source could be something supernatural.

Also they'd likely look like a crank if they're trying to connect it to ghosts etc because there's no actual link in there that suggests we'd see such things.