Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
It is what it is. It's certainly not what one would expect, which I guess is sort of the definition of weird Fortean phenomenon like this. It doesn't conform to our expectations of what reality is.
Sounds of ghosts from abandoned insane asylum
- Thread starter Magical Realist
- Start date
It is what it is. It's certainly not what one would expect, which I guess is sort of the definition of weird Fortean phenomenon like this. It doesn't conform to our expectations of what reality is.
I love your naked assumption that it's true. No criticism. Total credulity.
http://www.michaelshermer.com/weird-things/
Check out the book, ''Why People Believe Weird Things,'' by Michael Shermer. Pretty cool website, too.
Check out the book, ''Why People Believe Weird Things,'' by Michael Shermer. Pretty cool website, too.
Wow, where'd all these pages come from!
I might bother reading through this.
I might bother reading through this.
It's riveting.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
Michael Shermer's one of those professional skeptics I was talking about who makes a living "debunking" things. He's a hero of the skeptical community. Along with Joe Nickel, James Randi, etc.
OTOH, it's good to psychologize the motives of the all too gullible people. People who cannot think critically or have a preconclusion they only seek to justify. There's a sense when believing in the fantastic that you're in on a big secret that the majority doesn't get. This is especially true of conspiracy theorists. Others are addicted to the drama that the fantastical fills their life with, like alien abductees, victims of "alien implants", or past life incarnates. Not that we're any different. Lots of us use science to fill our humdrum lives with meaning. Many here do that every day, science taken to be some infallible oracle of truth on all matters. The scientific method serving as some magical ritual for divining the truth.
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You're skeptical of the skeptics...I love it!
In all seriousness, his website is really neat. Think I'm going to purchase one of his books; hopefully they're available for the kindle.
It's more logical than ghosts. Is there an abandoned piano somewhere? Could be a ringtone, or any one of a number of possible naturalistic explanations. You would have to explain how no naturalistic explanation could be possible before one can consider the possibility that all natural laws as we known them have been violated.
Why are ghosts hanging around this one physical location? There is no gravity, why aren't they floating out in space? How can they move through space without friction?
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
I can only explain such things from the knowledge paranormal research as accumulated thus far. Remember, there is much we still don't understand about the paranormal. But certain patterns DO emerge. For one thing, whether a spirit get's stuck or not at a specific location depends alot on the unresolved issues of their life or death. If they died in a sudden unexpected way, they may not know they're dead. If they are murdered or commit suicide, there's an attachment thru the powerful emotional energy embodied in those events. Do ghosts respond to gravity or mass? Yes, when they take certain materialistic forms they do. Moving objects, bangs on the wall, and footsteps demonstrate this. Other times, when they are orbs of pure energy, much less so. How do they move thru space, walls, without friction? There must be a kind of energy or plasmic matter they are made of that doesn't interact with air or solid matter. At least in certain highly energized states. See neutrinos, x-rays, and dark matter.
Then there's that whole distinction between residual hauntings and intelligent hauntings:
http://www.haunted-places-to-go.com/hauntings.html
Scientists did originally investigate such "claims", however there was no foundation that anything "Paranormal" actually existed, so investigations and funding were closed. The only people that do it now are supposed hobbiests. While there still is a field of "Parapsychology" it's no longer seen as a pure subject, people don't gain PhD's in the subject to chase ghosts (Other than any remake or sequel to "GhostBusters"), "Parapsychology" is now just an extension to "Psychology" but is usually used in regards to the study of those that are Superstitious and Religious.
Here's an explanation for capturing something similar to "EVP", say for instance hearing music on a recording that didn't exist in the environment that was being recorded.
It's known that Analogue radio broadcasts can if strongly transmitted effect the output of speakers, so you could potentially pick up on a microphone (which is similar to a speaker) a radio broadcast.
It's known that Analogue radio broadcasts can if strongly transmitted effect the output of speakers, so you could potentially pick up on a microphone (which is similar to a speaker) a radio broadcast.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
No so. Reputable scientists DID confirm many paranormal phenomena. But there was such resistance from mainstream scientific societies and the scientific establishment that they were either ignored or accused of inaccuracy.
http://www.paranormalnews.com/article.aspx?id=1478
Hey, that's good to know.
I think an objective, mainstream science website/publication is best for determining if there may exist legitimate paranormal claims. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there are any paranormal claims that have been conclusively verified by mainstream science.
Something funny to note, I don’t believe in the ‘Bigfoot’ myth. I was reviewing a website one day, whereby a very well-known Big foot ‘’researcher’’ had posted a bunch of nonsense about DNA tests he supposedly conducted, etc. (How do you conduct DNA tests on a creature that doesn’t exist? :bugeye: )
So, I decided to send him an email—kept it brief—inquiring if any of his ‘research’ has been peer reviewed in the science community.
This was two months ago.
I’m still waiting for his reply.
There is no paranormal knowledge, there are only unsubstantiated theories. You claim they have an effect on the material world, which means they can be studied by science, but as yet the field is a wasteland of woo.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
You sound like Balerion now.
If someone researches the paranormal and confirms it, they are automatically suspect due to mainstream science denying the very possibility of the phenomena. The history of science is filled with examples of new phenomena being dismissed by mainstream science. One example is the guy who theorized continental drift theory. He was ridiculed for a long time until years later it was proven to be true. "Big Bang" was originally a derogatory term for that theory, and Einstein laughed at quantum physics insisting that God doesn't play dice with the universe. Lavoisier mocked meteorites proclaiming there are no rocks in the sky. When you're talking mainstream opinion, you're talking major bias in favor of the status quo and only what has been discovered so far. Research that upsets that applecart tends to be rejected and mocked. Like I said, if you want a future career in science, you'd better conform to the scientific establishment of what can or can't be researched or you can count on a job flipp'n burgers for the rest of your life.
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Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
Thousands of paranormal societies are studying this phenomena everyday using scientific instruments and methodologies. To say no scientific approaches are being used shows your complete ignorance of the field.
You sound like Balerion now.
There is a degree of truth to that, but their skepticism is warranted. I wager that for the most part, the standards of paranormal researchers aren't as rigorous as they should be if they were to be taken seriously. They completely ignore what can be considered legitimate evidence in science.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
Hey, that's good to know.
I think an objective, mainstream science website/publication is best for determining if there may exist legitimate paranormal claims. Unfortunately, I don’t believe there are any paranormal claims that have been conclusively verified by mainstream science.
Something funny to note, I don’t believe in the ‘Bigfoot’ myth. I was reviewing a website one day, whereby a very well-known Big foot ‘’researcher’’ had posted a bunch of nonsense about DNA tests he supposedly conducted, etc. (How do you conduct DNA tests on a creature that doesn’t exist? :bugeye: )
So, I decided to send him an email—kept it brief—inquiring if any of his ‘research’ has been peer reviewed in the science community.
This was two months ago.
I’m still waiting for his reply.
I posted a whole thread on bigfoot evidence a few months back (see below). Nobody touched it. It's still there. Why don't you peruse the evidence before drawing your conclusion. That's the scientific way isn't it?
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?135741-Bigfoot-photos-video-and-eyewitness-accounts!
You sound like Balerion now.
There is a degree of truth to that, but their skepticism is warranted. I wager that for the most part, the standards of paranormal researchers aren't as rigorous as they should be if they were to be taken seriously. They completely ignore what can be considered legitimate evidence in science. It's frankly not science they are doing. And the field is plagued by frauds and attention seekers.
Magical Realist
Valued Senior Member
I think people can tell the difference between a broadcast of a local radio station and the whimperish talk of a little girl. Also many times the voices respond to direct questions. Besides that, some times the voices/conversations/sighs/moans can even be heard with the naked ear. There's no way THAT could be the Bob and Rob Show on KROK FM.