Do you believe in ghosts or the paranormal?

[Aqua Trenoble]

It's their own damn fault? So it's their fault they got scammed? Do you see absolutely no problem with your logic? You're basically saying that it's OK to scam people as long as they feel better and that if the problem persists then it's their own problem EVEN THOUGH every single alternative "healer" claims to cure the problem, not postpone its short term effects. It is also potentially dangerous as these symptoms, headaches, joint pain etc that the healer claims to cure can be symptoms of a much more serious disorder and when people feel better they rarely consider going to a qualified physician because they "feel better".

No, it's a placebo. A placebo is always a placebo because all it does is "cure" short term symptoms of psychologically induced illnesses. Unfortunately, that placebo does not cure the actual problem which can be serious and even life threatening at times so in the end the person spends money to postpone actual treatment.

Well, no one. That's the point, not to believe. Like I've said above placebos postpone the actual treatment. Also, there's a big fucking difference between stupidity and being tricked into believing bullshit and if you actually condone what those idiotic "faith healers" are doing then you're a bad person, period.

PLEASE NOTE THE WORDS THAT I HAVE USED. I CHOSE THEM VERY CAREFULLY AND DON'T NEED YOU TO REINTERPRET THEM OR CONJURE UP NEW ONES.

They didn't scam their clients, they cured the whole fucking thing. That is the scenario of which I am speaking and which you CANNOT disagree is completely legitimate, no matter the method. Then, the person began believing that the cure didn't work. So then it didn't work anymore and the problem returned.

CURE. The placebos which I am referring to would not simply cure short-term symptoms, but the whole shebang. The placebos WOULD cure the problem, if not by the same method as the genuine article.

Like I've said above the "placebo" would actually cure the problem and supersede the "actual treatment." They aren't being tricked if they can actually cure everything via the placebo or their own will. I don't just condone what your "idiotic 'faith healers'" do. If it works, I completely support it. And you're the bad person in that scenario, for disregarding perfectly viable options which can be available for far less money than more traditional options.

I myself was seriously ill once. My dad's girlfriend suggested (actually demanded is more accurate) that I take antibiotics. That was it for me. "Fuck this illness, I'm cured." AND I WAS. I didn't need the goddamn antibiotics. I didn't even know what the hell was wrong with me, I just concentrated every fiber of my being into being healthy again and I was. I have had no similar illness since. What do you think of that little anecdote?

 

[Jfswift]

I've always believed in the paranormal; I've had experiences of my own and recently a pretty big experience. I am curious as to who else believes or doesn't, why, and/or what happened that made you believe, etc?

sure I believe because
1. There is still many doubts whether souls exist in the science community
2. my cd player would turn on for no reason
3.once I was in the bathroom and as I went to leave the light turned off but the light didn't burnout the switch had actually moved.
4. I've seen weird things before like one time my dad came into the house I said hi he said hey then walked into the kitchen then a second later he walked in the front door again I said hi he said hey and walked towards the kitchen but then I asked him how he got from the kitchen to the front door so fast and he didn't know what I was talking about because he wasn't really there the first time I saw him. Also I saw the house from the nightmare on elm street movies in one of my dreams before I actually watched the movie.

huh.. stuff like that happens to me but on a more minor scale. I just file it off as coincidence, but it is weird. Like recently I'm driving home and thinking about when Wesley Snipes in Demolition Man makes some comment about, "Simon says" and then when I get home there's an online article on yahoo about where that phrase originated from.

 

[Rathands]

I will admit, I am fascinated by ghost stories but I tend to be rather skeptical of them - one of my favourite things to do every month is to check the paranormal section of about.com for the readers' stories and have a good laugh at nearly all of them (I know I'm a massive *****).

However, in defense of people's tales, I recently saw a programme where a collection of scientists were testing whether or not dogs were capable of responding to, and recognising, human emotion. Their data was leaning towards 'yes they can' on both accounts. Almost any dog owner could have told you that this is has always been the case but before this test went under way, anything they said would have effectively been counted as anecdotal evidence by the scientific community. Personal experiences aren't necessarily inaccurate just because scientists are skeptical about them.

 

[demolisher360]

no matter how much i dont want to believe, i do. even though i see no scientific reasons for all the sightings, experiences...etc etc

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

Sooo placebos always do nothing and don't even exist? That's quite an assumption you're making there, hope you can prove it.

What sort of question is that? The definition of placebo effect is inducing something psychosomatic through the power of suggestion. For instance a psychiatrist gives a patient medication against his depression. The pills take two weeks for their effects to set in, but the psychiatrist tells his patient he will be feeling the effects tomorrow. The patient then feels better the next day, through the placebo-effect.

So then the placebo-effect actually did something and is a completely existent phenomenon. What was your point again?

A drug dealer that just sells harmless placebos isn't a con artist. He's a hero!

Not if he overcharges ridiculously, out of greed, like the woman on that website. Because that's exactly that: greed.

If it was about helping other people, he wouldn't be after their money.

If he overcharges for no reason then he doesn't have any business, does he? There is no reason to suppose that my drug dealer overcharges or does it to help people. The placebo could be friggin salt and he could still make a profit and be completely amoral. My mother's prices are perfectly reasonable compared to what doctors charge for their cures, especially since the doctor's methods don't even goddamn work half of the time!

 

[King Toasty]

I believe that within the thousands of galaxies the universe there is a good chance that there exists at least one other sentient lifeform. Though I also believe that we will never come into contact with them, as Andromeda the closest galaxy to the Milky Way is 2 million lightyears away, so that's not gonna happen. That's it, if you consider that believing in the paranormal then yes I suppose I do.

That's not paranormal, just logical. For the lifeform bit, anyways. Paranormal includes psychic powers, ghosts, pseudo-scientific faith healing.

I was under the impression that some people associate aliens with the paranormal. As for ghosts and all of that other bollocks no I don't believe in any of that absurd nonsense. Also, What do you mean 'for the lifeform bit, anyways'?

I meant that the intelligent life was a bit trickier. But you're right. Given the size of the universe, there should be lots of life. I mean, that's when Fermi's Paradox comes into play- if the chances of life existing elsewhere is so huge, where are the aliens- but yeah, I think life does exist elsewhere.

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

Sooo placebos always do nothing and don't even exist? That's quite an assumption you're making there, hope you can prove it.

I agree that it is a placebo. But it's a placebo that works, and that's just as good as the genuine article. Sometimes even better! A drug dealer that just sells harmless placebos isn't a con artist. He's a hero! He's satisfying his clients' needs without causing them the harm that effectual drugs would.

Are you fucking serious or are you just trolling? Do you honestly not see any problem with your logic? A drug dealer that sells a placebo and claims it cures all sorts of ailments when it doesn't is a scammer and a fraud.

*facepalm* I'm talking about hard, on-the-street, fuck-you-up-if-you-look-at-them-wrong drugs! And I am saying that IF IT DID FUCKING WORK THEN HE WOULD BE SUPERSEDING THE NEED FOR ACTUAL DRUGS. IF IT WORKED. I wouldn't be making any of these suppositions if that wasn't the case!

 

[Burst6]

I'm just going to say this and hope no one has said it before.

A man named James Randi, a magician who likes to disprove paranormal things (often they use magic tricks), has a 1 million dollar reward for anyone who can prove that they can do these types of things.

I think he's shutting it down now. No one has ever proven anything, no "professional" has ever taken him up for it (except one, but then she never went through with it), and the amateurs that try to can never prove it. I think he's shutting down the 1 million dollar reward because it's taking too much money to maintain it and no one has proven anything in the (i think) 10 years it has been running.

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

I have had more experiences with the paranormal than I would care to remember. Right now I'm at the point where I just ignore every single potentially paranormal thing that happens because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I know its still there but I'd just prefer to stick my fingers in my ear and go "Nope, nope, not there."

Uh, I think you should start paying attention. If the universe wants you to notice something, it has no qualms about completely kicking your ass to get its message across...

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

If he overcharges for no reason then he doesn't have any business, does he? There is no reason to suppose that my drug dealer overcharges or does it to help people. The placebo could be friggin salt and he could still make a profit and be completely amoral. My mother's prices are perfectly reasonable compared to what doctors charge for their cures, especially since the doctor's methods don't even goddamn work half of the time!

That's just a weird thing to say. Doctors cure people.

I've got one word for you. Chemotherapy. If you need me to, I'll say it again. CHEMOTHERAPY.

 

[ResonanceSD]

I have had more experiences with the paranormal than I would care to remember. Right now I'm at the point where I just ignore every single potentially paranormal thing that happens because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I know its still there but I'd just prefer to stick my fingers in my ear and go "Nope, nope, not there."

Uh, I think you should start paying attention. If the universe wants you to notice something, it has no qualms about completely kicking your ass to get its message across...

The entire cosmos, billions of light years full of infinite wonder, give a damn about you, personally.


yeeeeah. No.

 

[Kayla Herrera]

Take a picture of it. Post it up. I'm having a hard time believing your ghost tree hypothesis.

Oh, and your logic is flawed - but I'll leave that up to someone else. I'm too tired to get into it right now.

I don't have to prove anything. I know what happened. Trust me if I had a picture or sound recording even, it'd be here. But I just missed the moment. I'm not trying to sway anyone here, it's interesting hearing the INTELLIGENT opinions, for or against the subject. No one likes a know-it-all, now

Here's one. The brain usually fucks with you. In fact, the brain fucks with you so often you don't even realize it. Every single memory you have is not an accurate representation of what actually happened because memories are often remembered in the way the person who remembers them wants to remember them.

what the fuck, ok i know my brain didn't screw with me. This isn't Inception here, a door opened by itself and slammed shut by itself, right in front of me and 5 others.

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

I have had more experiences with the paranormal than I would care to remember. Right now I'm at the point where I just ignore every single potentially paranormal thing that happens because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I know its still there but I'd just prefer to stick my fingers in my ear and go "Nope, nope, not there."

Uh, I think you should start paying attention. If the universe wants you to notice something, it has no qualms about completely kicking your ass to get its message across...

The entire cosmos, billions of light years full of infinite wonder, give a damn about you, personally.


yeeeeah. No.

At the very least one little corner of it does. I've experienced so many "coincidences" that I simply can't pretend otherwise. Other people can believe as they wish but I'll play it safe and give out my warnings.

Or you can interpret my statement as being that the universe doesn't give a damn about anything other than events unfolding as they're supposed to, and thus will ruin your shit if you're dead set on ignoring it.

Take from it what you will.

 

[MegaManOfNumbers]

Well, there's gotta be a reason my pants lit on fire yesterday.

Maybe you should stop telling lies

Oh come on! I was just joking!

 

[Thurston]

http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/1m-challenge.html

ONE MILLION dollars still available to an individual proving the existence of psychic or supernatural phenomena in a controlled, testing laboratory environment.

Private individual bankrolled the prize.

All are welcome to apply.

 

[ResonanceSD]

I have had more experiences with the paranormal than I would care to remember. Right now I'm at the point where I just ignore every single potentially paranormal thing that happens because I just don't want to deal with it anymore. I know its still there but I'd just prefer to stick my fingers in my ear and go "Nope, nope, not there."

Uh, I think you should start paying attention. If the universe wants you to notice something, it has no qualms about completely kicking your ass to get its message across...

The entire cosmos, billions of light years full of infinite wonder, give a damn about you, personally.


yeeeeah. No.

At the very least one little corner of it does. I've experienced so many "coincidences" that I simply can't pretend otherwise. Other people can believe as they wish but I'll play it safe and give out my warnings.

Ok, let me put it this way.

You are, at most, 70 odd KG of mass, with zero effect on the universe as a whole.

The universe is something that creates space as it expands. "it" is likely busy turning firmament into matter to even notice you.


Also, and here's the exciting part "the universe" isn't a living thing. It's physics.


Let's be rational. For Science.

 

[Aqua Trenoble]

I've got one word for you. Chemotherapy. If you need me to, I'll say it again. CHEMOTHERAPY.

A good example of a cure, yes. Tens of thousands have been saved from dying from cancer because of it. Shame the side effects are so severe though.

Does it work every time? Of course not. Does it work even close to every time? I seriously doubt it! And I agree, the side effects are severe. That's kind of what I'm saying.

 

[Zaverexus]

Not at all.
See, oddly enough I find myself in the position of being one of those rare sane and rational people who believe in things that make logical sense and can be rationally explained or at least have the tiniest, miniscule basis for the presumption that they could possibly exist.

 

[ZombieDarwin]

I look at the millions of (pretty lame for the most part) ghost stories out there - and I don't think "wow, these millions of tales add up to solid proof" - I just think "wow - humans are really easy to fool" .

just wanted to say well written and i agree. you make a very reasonable and informative point the whole way through. a familiar POV is comforting to have around in these times. also, those sleep study videos are fun to watch. great insight, very applicable, a smart read, good job.

i've always thought myself that these things we call 'paranormal' are, when considered realistically, driven by our brains, along with influences from both personal and random, internal and external factors. these types of ideas and phenomena have been passed down, spoken of and been in the human psyche for generations and it's only in our nature to want to believe something beyond us or mythological is real, or at least in the realm of possibility--another conversation all together. we all want to see what we want to see. *coughbigfootcough*

i think, while the brain is certainly complex and we're still learning things about it, we are still philosophizing; that even a lot of smart people say they may have experiences or have seen something unexplainable; we and it have always been open to suggestion and playing tricks on each other, which is perfectly 'normal'. i think it's incredibly interesting tho, a great discussion! it's practically anthropological and it makes for good TV and boosts tourism. keep thinking out loud!

 

[Rin Little]

Oh trust me, I've paid attention pretty well up til now. For right now, I just need to give it all a rest