FaceFaceFace said:
I'll say this again, because there
isn't a simpler way of way of saying it: your logic is wrong. Being open-minded about one paranormal thing does not mean you have to be open-minded about anything paranormal. Let's hit up Wikipedia for you one this one:
"A slippery slope argument states that a relatively small first step inevitably leads to a chain of related events culminating in some significant impact, much like an object given a small push over the edge of a slope sliding all the way to the bottom.[1] The fallacious sense of "slippery slope" is often used synonymously with continuum fallacy, in that it ignores the possibility of middle ground and assumes a discrete transition from category A to category B. Modern usage avoids the fallacy by acknowledging the possibility of this middle ground."
Now, as for the argument that there's only personal testimony as evidence, that's also just not true.
Bigfoot/other Ape Men: Footprints, recorded cries not identifiable as other animals, hairs not identifiable to other creatures.
Aliens: Besides the lingering radiation in supposed landing spots, fallow circles years after in the same, and anomalous electrical fields and poor crop growth in some crop circles, even the official US debunking program was unable to explain all reported cases--even when they were famously willing to write off many as "mass hallucination" and "swamp gas." (I use aliens instead of reptile-aliens-run-England paranoia conspiracy theory, granted, but there's really no sort of evidence of that, now is there?) Also, by definition UFOs exist, the question is whether or not they're extraterrestrial in origin.
Your other two aren't exactly paranormal things, just a religious hysteria that's been around for years (see xkcd.com/603) and a satire on religion that's not meant to be a proof against it but has been used as it by people that don't really get logic (or are just smug elitists who think they're better than those "religious morons"--again, see same strip).
To get back to ghosts, there is more than just "I saw X" to be seen, too. EVP, electrical field anomalies, significant temperature gradients with no cause, amongst others. Is some of it bunk? Sure. I recall an episode of Ghost Hunters where a family claimed to constantly feel a presence in one part of their house. Electrical readings confirmed something odd at that spot. Ghosts? No. They had a poorly-shielded fuse box that needed fixing. But just like Blue Book, it's those ones that you have no explanation for that you can't just sweep under the rug and try to say they aren't there.
If you absolutely won't accept anything but personal experience, try this. Do some research on where you live. I'm sure you'll be able to find some form of paranormal attraction. If you're lucky, it won't just be a tourist trap; it might be something worth your time like the Carbon County Jail in Pennsylvania. Maybe you can even have a personal experience. And then probably get home and deny it actually happened and must have just been in your head, just like every time my wife sees Elanor.
