Do ghosts exist?

[The Clamp]

One rarely hears of ghost sightings in normal places. Most take place in spooky places at night where of course you are going to be hyper vigilant and jumping at shadows.
I'm sure believers would say because that's when you "tune in" but I would think mostly it's people working themselves up into a nervous state then scaring themselves.
I do love a good ghost story though. I saw a thing on YouTube in America of these two guys creeping around some backwood farm they freaked and drove off only to hear "a banshee/witch" screaming at them from the woods. Of course, it was all baloney but I was watching it at night on my own and I got myself very scared! It's all atmosphere, if I felt like that in my home it's no surprise people think they have seen or felt something paranormal when say, walking down a country lane at night after spending the night down the boozer.

 

[Triggaaar]

'I'm not sure, they probably don't' is my answer. There is no conclusive proof that ghosts exist, nor is there proof that they don't.

Do you believe that for every player on the pitch, there is a little miniature football figurine roaming the pitch trying to help their team win? Wearing invisibility cloaks (obviously), they try and deflect the ball to stop it going to the opponents.

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

I saw a ghost when I was really stoned once.

 

[Megazone]

Do you believe that for every player on the pitch, there is a little miniature football figurine roaming the pitch trying to help their team win? Wearing invisibility cloaks (obviously), they try and deflect the ball to stop it going to the opponents.

How else do you think Adam Virgo scored that goal against Swindon?

 

[Triggaaar]

I have a colleague at work who regularly comes up to me and shows me YouTube clips of UFO's, ghosts, Bigfoot etc, always very interesting. But in every case he accepts 100% that it is real without truly thinking about it. We then almost always argue about the credibility of the footage, and my argument is always the same - what is more likely? A faked/CGI peice of footage of a Tudor era little girl walking down a corridor in a castle - or the long deceased apparition of a little girl appearing at that exact moment for the camera?

Back in the 70s/80s, those that believed in ghosts would give some implausible explanation as to why ghosts could not show up in pictures. Isn't it funny that they can show up in pictures now that we have photoshop.

That all being said - the fact that there literally millions of stories and pieces of circumstantial evidence supports the possibility of ghosts existing.

No it doesn't. You have a friend at work who's ready to believe any old shit. People like that are desperate for something to seem out of the ordinary. There are billions of people on the planet, so of course there are millions of bullshit stories.

I have personally had at least 10-20 very strange incidents happen to me that I would expect the average person to say '**** me that was a ghost...' In each case I have come to think that there was probably a rational explanation and I am more inclined to accept the rational theory rather than the 'dead persons spirit' conclusion.

Exactly. Our brains are complicated, we dream, we have a subconscious, we have hallucinations. Some will just say it must be a ghost.

Another interesting aspect to me is that I have spoken with people I have in the highest regard who are 100% convinced what they have seen and experienced WAS a ghost and there is no other rational explanation.

Equally, there are otherwise bright people who are sure that Mary was a virgin (lol) and Jesus was the son of god - and yet from another continent, equally bright people that think he was a very naughty boy, or that Mohammad was a profit and received the word of god. It's clear proof that there are (otherwise) bright people that are fooled into thinking something that's been completely made up, because they can't all be right.

Bottom line is real or not it makes for some very interesting debates, and even more interesting stories.

What it does, is allow us to distinguish who is and isn't gullible. Looking at the poll results, most have passed, but a lot of you have failed.

Would love to see a thread of ghost stories to read and contribute to on here.

So start one

 

[clarkey]

One rarely hears of ghost sightings in normal places. Most take place in spooky places at night where of course you are going to be hyper vigilant and jumping at shadows.
I'm sure believers would say because that's when you "tune in" but I would think mostly it's people working themselves up into a nervous state then scaring themselves.
I do love a good ghost story though. I saw a thing on YouTube in America of these two guys creeping around some backwood farm they freaked and drove off only to hear "a banshee/witch" screaming at them from the woods. Of course, it was all baloney but I was watching it at night on my own and I got myself very scared! It's all atmosphere, if I felt like that in my home it's no surprise people think they have seen or felt something paranormal when say, walking down a country lane at night after spending the night down the boozer.

The first bit's absolutely key for me. Same with houses as well - you rarely hear people tell stories of 'haunted' houses where previous owners hadn't experienced anything, it always seems to run in the house and therefore becomes self-perpetuating.

On another note, would highly recommend the documentary "Shooting Bigfoot" which was on iPlayer recently. Redneck Americans convinced as to Bigfoot's existence, or pretending to be convinced for commercial gain.

Personally, I had a period in my life when I was highly stressed and struggling with sleep etc. I woke up on numerous occasions to see figures in the room so life like I jumped out of bed to try and touch them, the only way I could convince myself they weren't actually there they were so real. Now, the figures I saw were always friends and family who were, and are, very much still with us. So I'm utterly convinced people can see/experience things, but various circumstances, whether personal/psychological or situational (knowledge of location) drives this. To conclude, ghosts aren't real.

 

[On the Left Wing]

Warning potential boredom threshold... this is a piece I wrote in Nov 2015. I was a sceptic until 2013, but now convinced that there is something beyond our understanding out there: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/seagullnic.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/ghosts-in-the-machine/amp/

 

[Dorset Seagull]

There's a good variation on this one where the Roman soldiers are walking waist deep in the road, and lo-and-behold, archaeologists then discover a previously unknown Roman road 3 feet below the surface.

The thing is this... Your (excellent) story has several possible explanations, each one has a probability of being true, ranging from highly unlikely to highly likely or anything in between. How you allocate these probabilities is highly subjective of course, but as with anything in life you base it on previous experience and weight of evidence. Here's some possible explanations for the Roman soldiers:

1. They were indeed on a re-enactment, and they had got together beforehand and for a laugh, had decided to jump into the bushes when a car passed to freak out the driver.
2. Your neighbour made up the whole thing. Maybe he just lies, or has an attention-seeking disorder that you don't know about (your probability here would vary depending on how well you know him, but for me - I don't know him from Adam).
3. Your neighbour was just mistaken. They weren't Romans at all - maybe just a walking group who had gone off on a path.
4. The Roman soldiers were ghosts
5. You misheard, or misunderstood your neighbour.
6. You have made it up.
7. Something else.

For me, number 4 only has a tiny probability of being the true explanation in relation to the others.

1. No - there was far too many of them
2. No - we just spent a weekend in the Isle of Man (also he always downplays Watfords chances in matches)
3. No - far too many of them and he noticed the detail of their attire
4. No - they don't exist
5. No - I heard him correctly
6. No - I didn't
7. Yes - but I don't know what

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

One rarely hears of ghost sightings in normal places.

Not quite true.

Poltergeist are generally observed in normal places.

 

[Triggaaar]

Personally, I had a period in my life when I was highly stressed and struggling with sleep etc. I woke up on numerous occasions to see figures in the room so life like I jumped out of bed to try and touch them, the only way I could convince myself they weren't actually there they were so real. Now, the figures I saw were always friends and family who were, and are, very much still with us. So I'm utterly convinced people can see/experience things, but various circumstances, whether personal/psychological or situational (knowledge of location) drives this.

That's a really good example. Believers will (I assume) accept that they weren't ghosts, because the people are still alive. Had they passed already, then you saw ghosts - fact!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I think a more interesting question, which is touched upon by several posters including [MENTION=4019]Triggaaar[/MENTION], is 'why do people believe in' (false notions and concepts like) 'ghosts'?

In my view, the answers are the same as the answers to (from my world) 'why do people believe that targeting process X will lead to new drugs for treating disease Y' when there is no actual proof it would work:

1. Because they want to believe it is true
2. Because they, like all humans, see patterns in everything, and such patterns that often don't exist
3. Because most people do not understand what constitutes evidence and what constitutes proof
4. Because some people do not care about proof or evidence and only care about what they believe.

These charactristics may seem deplorable, but they all have value in that they allow us to make decisions when there is insufficint evidence to be certain of the appropriateness of the decision. When there is no need to make a decision, however, it is foolish to do so when there is insufficient evidence to inform the decision. In the case of ghosts, frankly, it doesn't matter a toss if they exist or not, and it dosn't affect me in any way if somone else believes in them (unless they insist on boring the arse off me by banging on and on about it, albeit I have for more things to worry about, such as whether or not we can nick some points of the foxes on Saturday).

 

[Triggaaar]

Warning potential boredom threshold... this is a piece I wrote in Nov 2015. I was a sceptic until 2013, but now convinced that there is something beyond our understanding out there: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/seagullnic.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/ghosts-in-the-machine/amp/

Are you an award winning writer? Since I'm no writer, can you tell me what's wrong with paragraphs?

 

[burnee54]

That's the spirit. I've got that bloody Smoky Robinson song on my mind now.

So you're being aurally haunted too?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Other things that don't exist:

Time travel
Reincarnation
Clairvoyance
God

Look up at the stars tonight. You'll be seeing many of them as they were millions of years ago, not as they are now. That's a form of time travel no?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Look up at the stars tonight. You'll be seeing many of them as they were millions of years ago, not as they are now. That's a form of time travel no?

No. If I could travel forwards or backwards in time, however....

 

[The Clamp]

You often find people who lap up conspiracy theories believe in ghosts and ghouls. Or they go through a phase of ghosts, then conspiracies, then spirituality (the hokum kind like crystals and cheap dreamcatchers), each obsession fully entered into with gusto until the next phase is latched on to. It's a need to feel enlightened, privy to something special, endowed with a greater understanding. It usually subsides as partners, jobs, real life starts to take place.
Most folk get over this by their late teens. Some don't, some return to it in times of stress, loss or anxiety. It's usually a symptom of a loss or lack of control over some aspect of their life.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

No. If I could travel forwards or backwards in time, however....

Or had one big f*ck off telescope that used technology that we don't have yet and viewed planet Earth from far enough away? Then you'd be seeing into the past my friend. Might even spot Ulloa penalty

 

[Triggaaar]

this is a piece I wrote in Nov 2015. I was a sceptic until 2013, but now convinced that there is something beyond our understanding out there: https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/seagullnic.wordpress.com/2015/11/13/ghosts-in-the-machine/amp/

Ok, I have read that and this is actually quite spooky. Like you, I've always been sceptical of ghost stories. I'm in central Hove, in an Edwardian house - outside it's sunny and fresh with a gentle sea breeze, yet while reading the details of your experiences I could distinctly smell bull shit.

 

[Wilko]

I think a more interesting question, which is touched upon by several posters including [MENTION=4019]Triggaaar[/MENTION], is 'why do people believe in' (false notions and concepts like) 'ghosts'?

In my view, the answers are the same as the answers to (from my world) 'why do people believe that targeting process X will lead to new drugs for treating disease Y' when there is no actual proof it would work:

1. Because they want to believe it is true
2. Because they, like all humans, see patterns in everything, and such patterns that often don't exist
3. Because most people do not understand what constitutes evidence and what constitutes proof
4. Because some people do not care about proof or evidence and only care about what they believe.

These charactristics may seem deplorable, but they all have value in that they allow us to make decisions when there is insufficint evidence to be certain of the appropriateness of the decision. When there is no need to make a decision, however, it is foolish to do so when there is insufficient evidence to inform the decision. In the case of ghosts, frankly, it doesn't matter a toss if they exist or not, and it dosn't affect me in any way if somone else believes in them (unless they insist on boring the arse off me by banging on and on about it, albeit I have for more things to worry about, such as whether or not we can nick some points of the foxes on Saturday).

This is exactly what really interests me, often people are told about a plausible explanation for their experience (a classic one being sleep paralysis while in bed) but they still choose to reject the rational explanation. It would be a really interesting world if there was ghosts, mediums, healing crystals and witches, perhaps this is why people hold on to the belief they they exist because it is far more interesting than the stark reality that it is absolute nonsense.

 

[Bigtomfu]

For me, number 4 only has a tiny probability of being the true explanation in relation to the others.

Good use of Ockham's razor there.

Out of any given number of hypotheses the one with the least assumptions, no matter how implausible, is the truth.