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DougWood
Joined: 07 Jan 2011
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 11:50 pm Post subject: Scientific explanation for Ghosts? |
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I don't really believe in ghosts, probably because I've never experienced anything supernatural. However, my girlfriend is an absolute believer, claiming she saw a ghost when she was 15. Any attempts to try and reason with her gets her angry, and then we get in an argument. She's level headed, extremely bright, and a college graduate. But when it comes to ghosts... :\
So what do you guys think of this?
| Quote: | There may be an explanation for things like ghosts and hauntings. And it's not your mind simply playing tricks on you.
Are you hearing weird sounds, briefly seeing ghostly images, feel a presence in the room with you, or an inexplicable and sudden sense of overwhelming fear?
It just might be infrasound. |
http://zidbits.com/2010/11/25/a-scientific-explanation-for-ghosts/
Can anyone with a science background confirm? Is there any truth to infrasound being the reason? |
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D B Sweeney
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Posts: 2842
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 2:04 am Post subject: |
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Hi Doug,
A warm welcome to the forum  . Infrasound as one possible (and IMO very valid) explanation for reports of paranormal experiences has been around for over ten years and was to a certain extent sparked by Vic Tandys experience (see link below).
http://www.skepdic.com/infrasound.html
Given the potential sources of infrasound I'd certainly say it has to be factored into any claim if we're to assess such a claim logically and not default to a position of 'it was a ghost'.
There are many reasons why and how people see ghosts many of which fall under our current understanding within various fields such as cognitive psychology, perception, memory and neuroscience. As you've probably gathered from your own experience, sightings of what people perceive as ghosts or supernatural phenomenon are highly subjective and influenced by a number of internal and external factors - cultural, mental, biological, structural, atmospheric, olafactory etc.
Your girlfriends determination to believe in her experience against any suggestion of more logical alternatives is not unusual and it's a position I've come across all too frequently. Given the constructive nature of memory however it is very unlikely that your partner is remembering the experience with any accuracy.
Good first post by the way 
DB |
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flossy
Moderator
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 4921
Location: UK tyne/wear (geordie land)
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 3:43 am Post subject: |
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hi doug, welcome to the forums
people who have seen ghosts (myself included) will argue they know what they saw was a ghost no matter how you try and explain it away |
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D B Sweeney
Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Posts: 2842
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:39 pm Post subject: |
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| flossy wrote: | hi doug, welcome to the forums
people who have seen ghosts (myself included) will argue they know what they saw was a ghost no matter how you try and explain it away |
The fact that we've been trying to find real evidence of ghosts and the afterlife for over 200 years without anything other than anecdotal stories says a lot about human nature and our need to believe in something other than coming to an absolute end.
In times past people were absolutely convinced that what they had experienced had been spirits and more usually demons. Science has since demonstrated these were due to diseases of the body and mind encompassing anything from fungal poisoning to multiple personality disorder and tourettes.Science has more recently shown that human perception is far from perfect and our ability to accurately remember what we saw deteriorates at a very rapid rate.
I find the same utter conviction in religious believers who say they 'felt' Jesus or God and nothing will ever sway their belief in that belief.
I'm sceptical about god and ghosts. This means that if valid evidence is forthcoming I'll believe in both of the above.
And for the record I've also seen what I thought was a ghost on several occasions, however I am aware and willing to acknowledge that there is a strong possibility that I could have been mistaken despite the fact that at the time [b]I knew[/b] at the time that what I saw was a ghost.
DB |
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bitterbuck1
Moderator
Joined: 18 Nov 2006
Posts: 3963
Location: Arizona, USA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Welcome to the forum Doug. |
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EnigmaticStranger
Joined: 20 Feb 2011
Posts: 10
Location: The netherworld
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| Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:12 am Post subject: |
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| M-theory allows for an infinite amount of unknown entities in different universes to run alongside ours. It's butter soft science and is not involved that deeply in most modern physics conversations, but it's a possibility. |
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