People who believe in ghosts

Lol. Try typing in "paranormal videos that prove ghosts are real" - and then you can watch weeks worth of videos and decide in advance they're all crap anyway, because your mind is completely closed and no matter what the evidence you'd decide that wasn't "scientific" enough for you 😅

It's fine you need to be hard line anti- supernatural. I don't mind.

Indeed.

People who would love to believe that anything outwith their understanding can be understood and dismissed by our limited brains, bodies and senses come across as genuinely quite thoughtless. And often, frankly, a bit thick.

There are plenty of reasons why we don't question every single atom of the fabric of the universe, generally. We know we can't fly, as anyone who's attempted to walk out of a window instead of a door could testify, if they survived the attempt. It isn't practical to debate every nuance of our material existence, we just accept our own physical limitations for example, because to do otherwise is to risk harming ourselves and others.

But to attempt to shut down any debate about the unknowable nature of the supernatural and unseen is about self comfort, not being practical.

I don't bother engaging with them because their beliefs are set in stone and they can't be budged.

It's actually so simple to just say (and truly mean) "I don't know if ghosts exist" "I don't know if there's than that which we can experience with our limited vision and senses" and it's fine to add "And I have no real interest in the discussiont hanks". But OP instead wants to be patted on her back for refusing that logical, fair and uncontroversial stance.

Unless someone's charging you 50 quid to run a seance or otherwise interfering in your safety or day to day life the fair, reasonable and logical thing to do is just accept that the universe is vast, our knowledge is tiny and truly accept that the words "I don't know" are the only rational ones relating to the supernatural.

There is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence, all throughout history, that there are more things in heaven and earth than dreamt of in our philosophy, to paraphrase the Bard.

Anecdotal evidence, by the way, is exactly and precisely how all knowledge was passed down to us until very recently. Without the acceptance of it we'd have no history at all, and prior to the written word, we'd have had to re-learn how to invent the wheel, quite literally, each new generation.

People telling people their experiences has always counted as evidence. And, like all evidence, it can be weighed against their character and other factors and either accepted or dismissed.

But according to the "We just call a spade a spade" bumpkins, we know everything there is to know about the supernatural, right here and right now, and that's that.

Some people prefer the shelter of their limited knowledge of the universe. They're the ones who'd have calling the earth flat and shaking their heads sadly and laughing at all the round earthers a few hundred years ago.

As for me, I prefer the thoughtful, intelligent stance. When it comes to ghosts I know what I think, but really "I don't know".

Here's one from Liverpool - https://www.spookyisles.com/time-slips-bold-street-liverpool/#google_vignette

That is one possibility @Gwenna . It was just the eeriest situation I have ever experienced. As I say there is very possibly a logical non-supernatural explanation but at the time, when I was there, I could not find a plausible one.

I’ve heard stories about time slips that are a bit like that. In the absence of any plausible physical explanations, a time slip is a possibility.

Indeed.

People who would love to believe that anything outwith their understanding can be understood and dismissed by our limited brains, bodies and senses come across as genuinely quite thoughtless. And often, frankly, a bit thick.

There are plenty of reasons why we don't question every single atom of the fabric of the universe, generally. We know we can't fly, as anyone who's attempted to walk out of a window instead of a door could testify, if they survived the attempt. It isn't practical to debate every nuance of our material existence, we just accept our own physical limitations for example, because to do otherwise is to risk harming ourselves and others.

But to attempt to shut down any debate about the unknowable nature of the supernatural and unseen is about self comfort, not being practical.

I don't bother engaging with them because their beliefs are set in stone and they can't be budged.

It's actually so simple to just say (and truly mean) "I don't know if ghosts exist" "I don't know if there's than that which we can experience with our limited vision and senses" and it's fine to add "And I have no real interest in the discussiont hanks". But OP instead wants to be patted on her back for refusing that logical, fair and uncontroversial stance.

Unless someone's charging you 50 quid to run a seance or otherwise interfering in your safety or day to day life the fair, reasonable and logical thing to do is just accept that the universe is vast, our knowledge is tiny and truly accept that the words "I don't know" are the only rational ones relating to the supernatural.

There is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence, all throughout history, that there are more things in heaven and earth than dreamt of in our philosophy, to paraphrase the Bard.

Anecdotal evidence, by the way, is exactly and precisely how all knowledge was passed down to us until very recently. Without the acceptance of it we'd have no history at all, and prior to the written word, we'd have had to re-learn how to invent the wheel, quite literally, each new generation.

People telling people their experiences has always counted as evidence. And, like all evidence, it can be weighed against their character and other factors and either accepted or dismissed.

But according to the "We just call a spade a spade" bumpkins, we know everything there is to know about the supernatural, right here and right now, and that's that.

Some people prefer the shelter of their limited knowledge of the universe. They're the ones who'd have calling the earth flat and shaking their heads sadly and laughing at all the round earthers a few hundred years ago.

As for me, I prefer the thoughtful, intelligent stance. When it comes to ghosts I know what I think, but really "I don't know".

I don't believe in ghosts because I just don't see hiw it is possible for them to exist, particularly dreased in clothes, moving & talking. How is it possible? They're not in their bodies any more so how can it move?

My experience was very weird - though spoiler, it is possible to explain it away.

I was driving across France with my family & towards the late afternoon we were driving through country roads looking for a hotel to have dinner & spend the night. We found a potential one - not some gloomy forbidding Gothic place, a regular bright modern building quite large.

We parked our car (the car park was full of cars) and walked into reception. Doors wide open but nobody there behind the desk. It was disconcerting to see nobody in what should normally be a bustling busy space at that time of day. We looked around a little, called out, looked down corridors, not a soul to be seen anywhere. So we wandered around a little more to try to find someone and walked into a dining room. It was maybe about 3-4pm which was an odd time for a main meal but we found all the tables set, with food & dozens of place settings, and a buffet on the side The food was still hot, the knives & forks were on the plates and it looked as though the food on them was half eaten. It looked as though the people were in the middle of a meal then just suddenly put their knives & forks down, upped & left. Being there, we all felt a real chill.

We came out, had a look round the car park (nobody there either), gave up & left.

No I don't automatically gravitate to thinking there must be a supernatural reason, I still think there is likely a logical explanation. It is possible they had to leave in a hurry perhaps due to a fire scare (though no fire alarm or signs of fire) or some other emergency (though why would they not just assemble outside, or drive away?) This place was in the middle of nowhere, so precisely where would dozens of people go? Maybe they were playing a practical joke on us, hiding in the trees.

But all the same, being there it was just so weird.

MIL came back from a trip to Edinburgh and told us of a “really spooky” thing that happened that MUST have been a ghost because there’s no other explanation. She was walking in a field, no other people around, and she got a whiff of strong rose perfume. That’s it. She said that plus another occasion where her cat was looking at something on the wall when there wasn’t anything there have her convinced that ghosts are real.

I try not to engage in these conversations with my opinion really because people can believe in whatever they want to and it’s pointless getting into a debate about it, because if someone’s already made up their mind it’s hard to convince them otherwise. But she asked me if I’d ever had anything happen and I said no I don’t believe in ghosts. This lead to a conversation where she just kept saying “well go on then, give me one possible explanation for the perfume if it’s not a ghost!” And I was giving explanations that she just wouldn’t accept. How does someone think it’s impossible that someone was around wearing perfume and the wind was just wafting the smell over, but it’s perfectly plausible and OBVIOUS that perfume has transcended into the afterlife and a ghost is the only possible option?!

even if there was no possible explanation I could think of, I still wouldn’t jump to “it must be a ghost” I’d just accept that I don’t know the answer. I don’t understand why it HAS to be a ghost when it just makes no sense. I’m just curious, how many people actually believe in ghosts and why?

I don't believe in ghosts. I'm an atheist, I believe when you're dead you're dead, there's nothing after it. Ghosts aren't real.

I've also experienced two hauntings in my life.

I spent three months being "watched" by something in my home. I'd catch sight of a figure out of the corner of my eye, usually jump out of my fucking skin, and when I turned to look at it, nothing was there. It'd happen while me and DP were watching TV, or it'd be standing at the bottom of the stairs as I came down, or in a doorway as I walked past. Usually about once a day for those 3 months.

During that time I also saw DP standing at an upstairs window as I approached the house, but she was sat on the sofa when I got in. She couldn't have got downstairs in that time, I could see the stairs through the frosted glass in the front door.

Something also spent a fun evening lobbing a teaspoon around my kitchen. I'm upstairs, hear something fall, come downstairs and it's on the floor. Pick it up, put it on the side. Start walking back upstairs and hear it again. Come back and it's on the opposite counter to the one I put it on. So I take it upstairs with me, put it on my computer desk and carry on gaming. About half an hour later, I hear the noise again. The spoon isn't on my desk, it's on the kitchen floor again. I'd been home alone all this time.

All of the above screams ghost right? Probably not. I was going through the most stressful period of my life at the time. My Mum was dying, DP and I were going through a rough patch, and redundancies were looming at work. Given a choice between ghost or me losing my marbles? I'm going for the second one.

The second one was actually a few years earlier, but is harder to explain. While I was a student I worked at my universities library. We used to shut at 10 in those days, and anyone working at closing had to wander round the buildings and kick out anyone still there. (I swear some students actually wanted to be locked in!) The law library was connected to the main library, but was a much older building. For reasons I'll explain that will become clear, no-one ever wanted to be the one down there at that time of night. As I was often the only able-bodied male working, I tended to end up drawing the short straw.

You'd hear things down there. Footsteps, people talking. Never loud enough to actually make out words, but definitely hushed conversation. You'd assume there were students in there so you'd wander round looking for them. Never anyone in there (noone liked being in there at that time of night, not even the students). I used to feel like someone was playing a trick on me. You'd hear stuff from one direction, head that way and it'd come from somewhere else entirely. I figured it was sound travelling through the vents or something, and then gradually got more annoyed with people, assumed another staff member was playing silly buggers when all I wanted to do was go home.

So one of the porters (basically security, although they all seemed about 80 years old. I've forgotten his name, so we'll call him Clive), said he'd lock us in one night, and we'd see if it happened while no-one was around. So 10 o'clock rolls around, and we set up shop down there. There'd been no weirdness at closing time that night, and there wasn't as we sat in the dark, reading our books and chatting quietly. 11 o'clock rolls around, then 12. Nothing. I'm mentally thinking I'm vindicated, that it has been someone pissing about, that I'm going to throw a proper strop at whoevers responsible. Thats when I hear a very clear "Why are you still here?" Young womans voice, close by. I assume I'd drifted off to sleep. But Clives looking at me with wild eyes. We both get up, and start walking the aisles. We don't hear anything so clear again, but we do get the usual. Footsteps, conversation. Half an hour goes by and we find nothing. So we head home, locking up as we go. If there is anyone still there then they're either getting stuck for the night or will have to get out through a fire escape.

Clives back the next morning to open up. I'm not, I'm a student, I don't get up before 8am for anyone. Noones in there when he opens the library.

I find that one much harder to explain away. It wasn't just me who experienced it, others did too. I work in the uni again now, although in a different building. I asked when I went to get my ID card from the library whether people still experience it. The library is open 24 hours these days, so no-one needs to venture into the law library late at night. People do still hear stuff down there though.

Still don't believe it's a ghost though.

I don't believe in ghosts because I just don't see hiw it is possible for them to exist, particularly dreased in clothes, moving & talking. How is it possible? They're not in their bodies any more so how can it move?

But claims are not the same as evidence.

Fear, limited scientific knowledge, cultural expectations, and cognitive biases all likely contributed to many historical beliefs in the supernatural. If you were raised in a family or culture that believes in ghosts, you’re also more likely to interpret unusual experiences as paranormal.

‘My granny swore blind she saw her dead mother at the end of her bed’ doesn’t cut it.

There is no evidence that ghosts exist and there never will be, because they don’t.

This ^

An experiment conducted in the uk can influence the same experiment, done at the same time, in Australia.

Animals who have learned a particular skill in one part of the world can influence the same species in another part of the world so both sets of animals then share the same behaviour.

Potted plants demonstrate a particular surge in electrical output when their owner is within a certain distance from home.

All proven quantum entanglement experiments.

I've watched loads of videos where the supernatural seems clearly to be involved.It is impossible, of course, to tell if you are not an expert on camera techniques, and now AI etc.

But to state there are no bona fide recordings captured is absolutely unprovable and many could point you to videos that seem to show otherwise.