Poll: Do you believe in ghosts?

[The Unworthy Gentleman]

So what was it? Muttering in our sleep subconsciously acknowledged, a coincidence, some sort of electromagnetic transfer between our two brains, a real ghost. ;-) Hell if I know but it is not something I lose sleep over nor consider evidence of anything remarkable. Just a childhood oddity.

I'm far more inclined to believe it was a coincidence than a ghost, though it was probably something with scientific reasoning behind it.

OT: No, I don't believe in ghosts. I find the notion interesting and it would certainly be brilliant to discover that ghosts exist, but I doubt that it will. To assume the existence of ghosts to explain strange goings on is foolish. It would be akin to creating a magical being to explain the creation of everything we know; can you imagine if we did that.

 

[Soods]

No! And seeing one with my own eyes would just make me replace my eyes.

 

[Hawk of Battle]

No...and I find it hard to believe that anyone is answering otherwise.

So, do you also believe in Goblins? What about Fairys? Angels?

For fucks sake people, you'd think we'd be past the point of thinking that fucking Ghosts are real.

This may come as shock to some of you, but Santa and the Easter Bunny aren't real either.

I'm with you man, the amount of people saying yes in this thread is fucking mindblowing. Seriously people, fucking ghosts? Are you shitting me? This is frankly ridiculous.

Also relevent; I've once been part of an experiment to prove how easy it is to make people believe whatever shit they wanted to believe. Basically, 100-ish people, me included, were taken out into the woods near an army camp 1 night and there told the "true" story of the camps notoriously bloody history (which most people had heard about but nobody knew the truth off, hearsay and all that).

After hearing the tale everyone is asked to walk through a section of the woods, alone, where various murders were committed. A few people didn't, as they were too afraid (it being pitch black in the dead of night and all). Of those who went through, about half of them reported seeing ghostly outlines of people and dogs, even floating orbs of light and other crap. I didn't, I figured out the truth part way through walking through the area; the whole story was bullshit, we'd been told it all and then made to walk through because the organisers wanted to see how many people basically hallucinated and made up whatever they wanted. It was all to show how peoples mids play trick on them. Even after being told BY THE ORGANISERS people still thought they'd seen things.

There were no murders, there was nothing eventful that had ever happened there. But tell a person a bullshit story and then leave them alone and they start seeing fucking ghosts. In short, people believe what they want to believe, even in the face of evidence to the contrary. Because people are fucking morons.

 

[Ariyura]

I believe in them. I work in the old part of a hospital by myself for almost twelve hour shifts. Sitting in a place that is rarely accessed by anyone but myself at that time of night there have been times where I find myself talking to thin air because something else is there and it's not the doctors or the nurses or even security.

 

[A.A.K]

Yea I believe in ghosts. I think the whole "there's no evidence for their existence, therefore they don't" dulls life. It's boring and I reckon you don't need evidence for everything regardless.

 

[Muspelheim]

Well, real or not, ghosts or lack thereof is certainly an efficient ego-boost to some people.

 

[lordmardok]

ghosts is kind of a wide generalization, scientifically speaking it's more than plausible, the laws of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and the majority of what makes up the human persona, i.e. what we consider to be the 'self' is energy. The idea that some kind of imprint could be left on the physical plane? Perhaps.

Personally I would have to say I'm more willing to believe in ghosts than I would be willing to dismiss them until I am given concrete proof. Simply in accordance with scientific principle the possibility of 'ghosts' existing is slightly more likely than it is not.

But in terms of supernatural ghosts that haunt dark victorian mansions and kill promiscuous teenagers? Not so much a believer.

 

[Vigormortis]

But think about it - there is nothing to disprove ghosts. What if hallucinations are actually caused by ghosts and all that?

Ever hear the phrase "burden of proof"? Basically, it's up to the ones claiming something is true to prove that it's true. Not the other way around.

Come back when you find that someone, then we can interrogate him together.

"Find that someone"? Pretty sure that "someone" would be anyone claiming ghosts are real. So...take your pick I guess? There are plenty of them around. Hell, last I heard, anywhere between 25 and 30 percent of Americans believe in ghosts. So just grab the next 4 people you see. Chances are at least one of them is a believer.

Also, if they say they saw one, that is not proof. If history and science have taught us anything it's that eye-witness accounts and anecdotal evidence are the worst, most unreliable kinds of evidence you can get.

Well, I dunno, for some reason you chose me to dump some irrelevant info. I thought you wanted the initiative there. Why should I take the lead?

Not quite sure how you can say my info was "irrelevant", as everything I said in my previous posts was on the topic, but in all honesty I wasn't "dumping" anything on you; specifically.

You just so happened to be one of the first people I saw in the thread who said the ubiquitous "but you can't disprove them either" line. I just felt I needed to point out the fallacy of that. Hence my explanation of "burden of proof" and why I quoted your post.

It wasn't a personal attack. Sorry if it came off as such. I meant no offense.

 

[ChildishLegacy]

ghosts is kind of a wide generalization, scientifically speaking it's more than plausible, the laws of thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and the majority of what makes up the human persona, i.e. what we consider to be the 'self' is energy. The idea that some kind of imprint could be left on the physical plane? Perhaps.

Personally I would have to say I'm more willing to believe in ghosts than I would be willing to dismiss them until I am given concrete proof. Simply in accordance with scientific principle the possibility of 'ghosts' existing is slightly more likely than it is not.

But in terms of supernatural ghosts that haunt dark victorian mansions and kill promiscuous teenagers? Not so much a believer.

I don't think you really understand exactly how energy works and how it's conserved. Energy in it's most basic definition is the ability to do work (i.e exert a force). Every atom in our being has energy and is arranged so as to create a conscious human being. There is no "store" of energy somewhere in our brain that is our consciousness, our brain and body works via changes in energy to power our organs. When somebody dies there is no "lost energy", there is just a lack of changes in energy and living processes happening, it is just a different arrangement of the atoms/energy that make a human up.

I haven't really explained well here, if you want me to clarify at all do ask.

 

[Snotnarok]

Believe in them all you want there's simply no proof, there's been studies that have gone into this including scientists testing for the supposed weight of a soul leaving a person who was dying.

There's no proof and there's just nothing about it that even makes sense as people recall ghosts wearing clothes...does my shirt have a soul? Am I to be dammed with the same attire till my 'spirit' reaches some higher place? Not that there's proof of that either but I'm not about to dive into that.

 

[Creator002]

I've had things I can't explain happen, or just random weird stuff (like footsteps entering and leaving my room), but I don't believe in ghosts.
My sister does and is convinced our house is haunted and she sees weird shit and has weird stuff happen to her all the time, sometimes even when I was there (like once a toy fell on the floor and rolled under the bed, but it had jagged points, so rolling how far it did was unlikely, plus there was no wind or anything to knock it off).
However, every ghost thing I've heard from people and had happen to me was at night and I refuse to believe in ghosts that operate on a time schedule.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I believe in them. I work in the old part of a hospital by myself for almost twelve hour shifts. Sitting in a place that is rarely accessed by anyone but myself at that time of night there have been times where I find myself talking to thin air because something else is there and it's not the doctors or the nurses or even security.

What the hell do you do alone in an old hopsital?

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I never wanted to believe in ghosts, till I saw one make a face at me through a window in a bathroom 2 stories up while I was brushing my teeth. I vote yes.

Really? Tell me more...

 

[Savo]

I'm not inclined to. It's not impossible, but the severe lack of convincing evidence kills it for me.

 

[Ariyura]

I believe in them. I work in the old part of a hospital by myself for almost twelve hour shifts. Sitting in a place that is rarely accessed by anyone but myself at that time of night there have been times where I find myself talking to thin air because something else is there and it's not the doctors or the nurses or even security.

What the hell do you do alone in an old hopsital?

I work in patient supply, basically they call for something and I bring it. From beds, to linens, to oxygen tanks. I do my scheduled deliveries when I get there then I'm on call for the last half of my shift. There is a new part of the hospital built on to the front of it but they haven't moved any of the department to it. Just patients and the information center.

 

[Sean Hollyman]

I believe in them. I work in the old part of a hospital by myself for almost twelve hour shifts. Sitting in a place that is rarely accessed by anyone but myself at that time of night there have been times where I find myself talking to thin air because something else is there and it's not the doctors or the nurses or even security.

What the hell do you do alone in an old hopsital?

I work in patient supply, basically they call for something and I bring it. From beds, to linens, to oxygen tanks. I do my scheduled deliveries when I get there then I'm on call for the last half of my shift. There is a new part of the hospital built on to the front of it but they haven't moved any of the department to it. Just patients and the information center.

Oh right, so it's not some kind of old rarely used ward where hardly ever goes...

I've heard weird stories man.

 

[FalloutJack]

No. There's no real evidence to suggest they exist and unless the day comes where there is evidence, I won't believe in them.

I've always found that the absense of proof is not proof of anything. Something doesn't exist that because you haven't recorded it? Nonsense. It exists in a state of not knowing. The best answer, the TRUE answer, is that you don't know. Even if you say you do, you don't. The world has a positive and a negative, and both are provable. Somewhere out there is an answer to whether ghosts can or can't exist, do or don't. It has an answer, but it hasn't been found. Let's not put the cart before the horse here. Belief was never about evidence in the first place. If it WERE, there wouldn't be all this god business.

 

[Ariyura]

I believe in them. I work in the old part of a hospital by myself for almost twelve hour shifts. Sitting in a place that is rarely accessed by anyone but myself at that time of night there have been times where I find myself talking to thin air because something else is there and it's not the doctors or the nurses or even security.

What the hell do you do alone in an old hopsital?

I work in patient supply, basically they call for something and I bring it. From beds, to linens, to oxygen tanks. I do my scheduled deliveries when I get there then I'm on call for the last half of my shift. There is a new part of the hospital built on to the front of it but they haven't moved any of the department to it. Just patients and the information center.

Oh right, so it's not some kind of old rarely used ward where hardly ever goes...

I've heard weird stories man.

It usually bustles during the day, it just Im the night person and no one comes in there after 3:00 pm when I lock the doors. It's been there for more than forty years or so. The housekeeper told me one day that he had been there for almost thirty five years and that it used to be a little sewing room, and a nurses station when he started.

 

[Hazy992]

No. There's no real evidence to suggest they exist and unless the day comes where there is evidence, I won't believe in them.

I've always found that the absense of proof is not proof of anything. Something doesn't exist that because you haven't recorded it? Nonsense. It exists in a state of not knowing. The best answer, the TRUE answer, is that you don't know. Even if you say you do, you don't. The world has a positive and a negative, and both are provable. Somewhere out there is an answer to whether ghosts can or can't exist, do or don't. It has an answer, but it hasn't been found. Let's not put the cart before the horse here. Belief was never about evidence in the first place. If it WERE, there wouldn't be all this god business.

That still doesn't make it logical to believe in them. If there's no evidence then logically you don't assume anything until evidence presents itself.

 

[FalloutJack]

No. There's no real evidence to suggest they exist and unless the day comes where there is evidence, I won't believe in them.

I've always found that the absense of proof is not proof of anything. Something doesn't exist that because you haven't recorded it? Nonsense. It exists in a state of not knowing. The best answer, the TRUE answer, is that you don't know. Even if you say you do, you don't. The world has a positive and a negative, and both are provable. Somewhere out there is an answer to whether ghosts can or can't exist, do or don't. It has an answer, but it hasn't been found. Let's not put the cart before the horse here. Belief was never about evidence in the first place. If it WERE, there wouldn't be all this god business.

That still doesn't make it logical to believe in them. If there's no evidence then logically you don't assume anything until evidence presents itself.

When you have no proof, then logically the only recourse IS to wonder. It is on this basis that theories are born.