Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? Have you ever encountered one?

[Baracuda]

I'd like to, because I like fantasy. But really... no.

[Kurioxan]

Nope. Let me put it this way, if there were truly ghosts, spirits or whatever in this world we would KNOW about it

Uh... no.

There are still, for example several completely new species of animals being discovered every year, and not in "remote" areas either, some in major cities or close to them, and not all of them that small, new species of whales for example, quite...big and one would think that after decades of scientific exploration they would have been found already.

It might be the case that there have been quite a lot of same-ideas due to the innate fear of death, imagination and memory plasticity, and yet while i work as a chemist and am indeed in most cases, of a scientific mind, experience has shown me quite a lot of things i had no means to explain or rationalize.

It is to my belief (hate that word) that just because we have no evidence of something yet, does not mean it is inexistent, but also probable that we simply have no means to gather that evidence.
The assumption that we already have the means to describe reality is one of the biggest scientific and intellectual fallacies possible, luckily through history many great scientists have kept immensely open minds towards possibilities beyond our current means, and that is what drove them forward to achieve great feats of intellectual and scientific discovery, creating their own tools and discovering new angles to how we perceive reality and judge possible.

Absolute denial of something that has been so keen in staying in cultures and traditions over the whole world, even in civilizations that were atheist, the ghost/spirt still lingered, is unscientific.
Sadly most tales are very shrouded in mysticism and embellished, but as it is said, all myth has a grain of truth, dig deep enough and you might find it.

Sadly there has been a stigma towards those areas of knowledge to the point that any serious researcher avoids it out of fear of ridicule, not to mention having no clear base to start it from, nor the correct tools to.

What, however, is quite stinging to me, as a person, is how many out-of-the-area people take arrogant stances and refuse to even concede to the possibilities, people who have no scientific background, nor any understanding of science, yet will brandish their opinion against everyone simple because, so far, their back is quite warm.
It is important to be skeptic, very so, but it is also just as much, to be open to ideas and hypothesis, possibilities beyond what we perceive as real at this moment.

Many of those same people would be shocked if they had any idea of how much bad science is there in the scientific community, even today, and how many people, for example have died or suffered greatly from it, mainly in the fields of medicine, and I do not say this out of thinking it, i say it out of both experience and backing from doctors, researchers and journalists.
Quite a lot of medication out in the market, approved by the regulation entities are useless, untested and harmful even, due to bad science and rushing/economic interests.

Dont place all your eggs in the same basket as the old wifes lore would say.

In the topic of ghosts or spirits, I wont claim to know much, i dont.
I have had quite a few odd things happening, most could be explained, but several arent, and it is those who always makes me wonder.

Only a fool can be certain of something, certainty is by principle, unscientific, nothing is certain... there is only a level of certainty by which we assume things work, based on what we can measure, rationalize and hope we didnt miss something.

What is even more painful is to see people using science as a weapon for arguments that dont belong in there, I am an atheist but would never consider someone who isnt to be stupid, or less intelligent than I am, or see them as inferior in any way, judge the person by his behaviour, not his views.
Sadly many atheists bring shame to the rest with that kind of behaviour, being as fanatic and zealous as those who they "target". shameful.
Faith was used as a reason for conflict, now lack of it is... endless cycle.

If the principle of only believing what we see was applied by previous generations of scientists, we would still be in the middle ages technology wise.

Then again, there are quite a lot of crap out there as well, but i see no reason to become angry or irritated by it, everyone has the right to believe in what they will, as far as it is harmless.
The moment it becomes harmful to others, however, is another thing, but that can and already has happened many times, even with scientific mindsets but misguided "hearts"

[Deleted]

No, nothing. Not even any sinister quasi-realistic ones like the child abusers in Turn of the Screw. Both the Orphanage and The Devils Backbone films set my imagination running wild though.

[Themius]

None of it is real,
It is like religion you have to make a logical error to believe in one.

How do you know this?

[Adjusting]

I do believe that there is something else. What it is, well that is something.

[Dezerte]

<snip>

I'd like to respond to this and clarify my position (if this post was directed at me)

Science is not a thing, it's a verb. It's the best known way of determining if something is true or false, we can show this by repeating experiments and make calculated answers to questions. So just putting that out there, to avoid any confusions.

If you show me proof of anything supernatural or extraordinary, be it ghosts, spirits, vampires or flying pink ponies I'd be very interested, and so would the rest of the science community (including the pseudo-science community). The scientific method is by definition very open-minded to new ideas; it's why it's been so successful in explaining things.

I don't think people who believe in ghosts or religion are stupid. However, I believe they are mistaken, sometimes gravely or dangerously mistaken. So why should I care what people believe in? Because a belief in supernatural things can harm people (read about homosexuality in religion for example), and that's why I do what I do.

I think the default position should be to be skeptical about things that have no evidence, but leave no doors closed.

[Deleted]

How do you know this?

The same way he can "know" that there's not an invisible pink unicorn selling grape juice in his garage. Because to "know" is really only to "be certain of to a high degree." To make this into a competition of who can semantics the best is silly.

[Necrotan]

What is logical or rational about assuming something does not exist just because you have not seen it yet?

If someone claims to go off science you would not make a judgement either way since we can not empirically prove or disprove the existence.

[roboaxxil]

No. I refuse to believe in the supernatural until I experience it first hand.

[Deadvolcanoes]

What is logical or rational about assuming something does not exist just because you have not seen it yet?

The complete lack of scientific evidence makes the assumption of non-existence logical and rational.

[CptEgo]

What a relief to see such a high ammount of people who are capable of rational thinking posting in this thread. Spirits, Ghosts, God and Santa Claus are all figments of our imagination, and you people who believe in these things seriously need to pick up a book or simply just get a grip. This is 2012 folks.

[Catta]

What a relief to see such a high ammount of people who are capable of rational thinking posting in this thread. Spirits, Ghosts, God and Santa Claus are all figments of our imagination, and you people who believe in these things seriously need to pick up a book or simply just get a grip. This is 2012 folks.

Somehow i think its many of the same people who believe the world will end in 2012

[Deleted]

Somehow i think its many of the same people who believe the world will end in 2012

That's the strange part. Most of these people probably find Santa Claus and pink unicorns to be ridiculous, just as the 2012 prophecies. Yet these "ghosts" or whatever they want to name it is perfectly plausible. Come up with something that has shitloads of scientific research behind it, and they find it ridiculous again.

[Auloria]

If something happens that you can't explain, it is human nature to jump to the possibility that scares you the most.

If ghosts exist AND can interact with the world, then we would be able to significantly measure that interaction. It's possible that they exist and all these false reports of ghosts are too heavily skewing the data we have, but plenty of level-headed and unbiased people have made significant explorations of the occult and have not uncovered anything conclusive. The lack of observation is a very significant piece of evidence. The interaction must be EXTREMELY weak (I mean come on, we can even conclusively measure neutrino interactions!) so it is extremely unlikely that all these people hearing strange noises and seeing strange motions are actually observing ghost or spirit activity.

[starkey]

seeing is believing so far zilch so no

[Catta]

That's the strange part. Most of these people probably find Santa Claus and pink unicorns to be ridiculous, just as the 2012 prophecies. Yet these "ghosts" or whatever they want to name it is perfectly plausible. Come up with something that has shitloads of scientific research behind it, and they find it ridiculous again.

I think it has something to do with fear and being able to relate. Spirits means that there is something more and you arent just gone when you die. Just because it makes you feel better doesnt make it more rational - nor does the fact that said belief has persisted for millennia.

Its like those people who believe in their "alternative medicine" and i use the term medicine very loosely. Its funny how the mortality drops by the amount of medical expertise available in the country instead of amount of witch doctors.

[Skelington]

Well, Skelington had some "encounters" as a kid, so he won't outright claim they don't exist because science hasn't proven them or "lolnoit'salogicalfallacylikejesus" like everyone in their right mind here is saying. But he was just a kid, so it's not saying much.

[Morae]

I repeat once again in this same thread. Ghosts or such don't exists at least not spirits of dead people, ect. I'd think that a fact.

I will also say that I have seen a ghost once and I'm someone who believes in scienctific research and results. I don't know what I saw, but perhaps ghosts could be redefined as certain type of halucination. But as we see even in this thread that people are on crusade against anyone who says "i saw a ghost", nobody is going to even think of doing that redefinition. I have seen a ghost, but I believe it is some certain type of halucination.

As people say there is nothing to point to existence of spirits or ghosts. Yet, I have seen a ghost so it has to be just something my brain created for me to see.

I can't say "i dont believe in ghosts", but I can define word "ghost" in such way that I can say I have seen one.

Those that demand scientific proofs of ghosts, I ask show us proof that they DON'T exist. It goes the both ways. Properly put science just says "there is no proof to say anything for certain. It is just likely from what we have observed so far that spirits such as ghosts do not exist". That doesn't say "ghost" could not be something else than most people tend to think, but no spirits.

[Dezerte]

Those that demand scientific proofs of ghosts, I ask show us proof that they DON'T exist. It goes the both ways.

No, disproving the existence of something is a fallacy, it's impossible.

[Morae]

There is logic in proving it false by proving it is something else.

Another example that in maths you prove something is impossible and then use that impossibility to show something else is true.

We dont even know what the stuff for sure because nobody is willing to even consider studying the phenomenon properly to show what it is for real. Likely certain type of halucination like i said.

Proving something is true or proving it is not true is two sides of a same coin.