Do you believe in the paranormal?

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by PockyMePink

Science can't prove or understand why huskies can change their metabolism speed, but it happens anyway. Science and logic can't prove many things we already know exists, so why go on to say that just because science and logic can't prove a higher power exists, it must not be there? Is it logical to follow something that isn't proved? Is it logical to not follow something when it hasn't been disproved?

Science can manipulate you in the same way as religion can. With science, you're TOLD something you've been TOLD about exists becuase an experiment you were TOLD about gave the results that they TOLD you, etc etc. What if what they TOLD you was a lie? With enough details, you can make any "scientific study" seem legit. Unless you do it for yourself, all you can do with science is trust what articles, TV, and people say. And we all know that second hand sources can prove to be unreliable. As long as someone labels it as science, it must be true, right? Because what something else says is science can never lie to you, right?

I never claimed science has all the answers to everything. I actually said it's an ongoing process of discovery. I also didn't claim that there is any proof of the non existence of higher powers, ghosts, santa claus, the easter bunny, whatever...
The point I've been making is to completely believe in something that does not have any proof whatsoever is simply ridiculous. Frankly it reeks of some sort of desperation to suspend rational thinking and just have faith in something which in all likelyhood will never be proved conclusively one way or the other. For a good read on the why things like the paranormal and supernatural can never really be disproved look up Carl Sagan: "A Fire-Breathing Dragon Lives in my Garage".


Can science also be manipulated? Of course it can. Especially in this day and age of the internet it can be extremely hard to sort out the credible and the bogus science circulating out there. People can post anything on the internet circumventing the normal rigorous process of review credible scientific papers have to go through to get published. And if we have a public out there who is on the whole mostly scientifically illiterate then how can they possibly discern the good from the bad? It's definitely an issue. The only hope in my opinion lies in better education and communication of science. Or you can continue living in a fairytale world believing in gods, ghosts and such...Is it not better to strive to fully understand the world around us rather than just putting it down to something supernatural when an explanation is not immediately apparent?

[PockyMePink]

I never claimed science has all the answers to everything. I actually said it's an ongoing process of discovery. I also didn't claim that there is any proof of the non existence of higher powers, ghosts, santa claus, the easter bunny, whatever...
The point I've been making is to completely believe in something that does not have any proof whatsoever is simply ridiculous. Frankly it reeks of some sort of desperation to suspend rational thinking and just have faith in something which in all likelyhood will never be proved conclusively one way or the other. For a good read on the why things like the paranormal and supernatural can never really be disproved look up Carl Sagan: "A Fire-Breathing Dragon Lives in my Garage".

You say you never claimed science has all the answers, yet it's ridiculous to believe in something that science doesn't have proof of, when science doesn't have the answers? Even if it's never been disproven? According to you, it's only ok to believe in something as long as it's proven by a science that is flawed. It is just as desperate to rely on second hand sources to tell you what you need to believe than it is to rely on something that is neither proven nor disproven. One way, you're going to fall into the hands of other people who will toy with your mind and laugh at you, who is soaking up all this "science". The other way, you're free to think what you want, and believe what you want.

It's a wonder why I choose my religion over being a mindless puppet.

Can science also be manipulated? Of course it can. Especially in this day and age of the internet it can be extremely hard to sort out the credible and the bogus science circulating out there. People can post anything on the internet circumventing the normal rigorous process of review credible scientific papers have to go through to get published. And if we have a public out there who is on the whole mostly scientifically illiterate then how can they possibly discern the good from the bad? It's definitely an issue. The only hope in my opinion lies in better education and communication of science. Or you can continue living in a fairytale world believing in gods, ghosts and such...Is it not better to strive to fully understand the world around us rather than just putting it down to something supernatural when an explanation is not immediately apparent?

There will never be a world where everyone will understand everything about the world scientifically. And therefore, there will always be someone out there who can easily lie to you. Scientists will never fully understand the world, and each individual person will never understand it either.

I'd rather live loving the world, it's magic, and it's mysteries than not have anything to love about it at all.

[GoNative]

It is ridiculous to believe in something for which there is no proof. How is it not? If I told you that I was a messenger from god and he talks to me daily and has instructed me to create a religion where all the followers should give me 10% of their annual income and allow me the choice of virgins from my followers to marry as I pleased. Would you think me a complete nutcase or possibly just a leader in the Mormon church? Or would you think wow here is obviously someone touched by the lord and start giving me money? You will never be able to find proof that the lord does not speak to me but is it reasonable in the absence of proof to conclude that what I claim is believable? Of course not that is just ridculous.

It is just as ridiculous to believe something that is purported to be science with no real proof that it is. Has the methodolgy been reviewed by the persons peers? Are the conclusions a reasonable interpretatin of the data and results? The beauty of science is that such skepticism is encouraged and essential to the scientific process. People can't just make claims that can't be disproven like those made by religions. Science can be tested by others and over time be confirmed as valid or needing more research or be disproven. Science is not about absolutes, it doesn't require faith to believe. It requires rigorous adherance to a set of principles based on logical and reasoned thought processes which, unlike religions, are refined and improved as more knowledge is accumulated over time. There are plenty of theories in science which are not proven. But I don't have to believe in all these theories to be a follower of 'science' because science is not based on blind faith.
Your ideas about science show an incredible lack of knowledge about how science works. You live in a world surrounded by technology, all created from the same science that you seem to distrust so much. You are completely surrounded by science in your everyday life but choose to be ignorant of it? Must be an interesting world to blindly accept all the science that surrounds you with little understanding of it and to also blindly accept the supernatural as well. Of course religions are certainly not based on any sort of logic or reason, just blind, unquestioning faith. Such principles are not applicable in science.

And as I stated earlier the world is a magical, wonderful place. Science is the way to understand and open your mind to these wonders. The more you learn the more questions arise and the more exciting your quest for knowlege becomes. This idea that the world is a more amazing place believing in the supernatural is a silly one often used by those who find the world around them a mysterious place due to their utter ignorance of it.

[WingsToDiscovery]

It's human nature to want an answer to everything. Nothing can just exist, and people will go as far as creating their own theories for everything there is (both scientifically and religiously) often in an abstract fashion.

People have wild imaginations. They'd rather believe the noise behind them was paranormal than happenstance.

Basically, I don't believe in the paranormal.

[Mackan]

No there is always order in chaos. Things we cannot explain today we can explain tomorrow, soon everything can be explained.

[JasonTakeshi]

Originally Posted by Mackan

No there is always order in chaos. Things we cannot explain today we can explain tomorrow, soon everything can be explained.

Highly disagree.

Not going to point the obvious.

[Mackan]

Originally Posted by JasonTakeshi

Highly disagree.

Not going to point the obvious.

I never said humankind would be able to, however we might never know that, or explain certain things, like why chocolate and pear ice cream mix so well or why people insist on fighting over trivial things.

However there are explanations for everything, we however might never understand them.

In regards to "the paranormal" there exists far more scientifically proven activities today them what people refer to as "psychics".

[willgoestocollege]

What you guys think about people who claim they can talk to the dead?

[YukisUke]

Originally Posted by willgoestocollege

What you guys think about people who claim they can talk to the dead?

It depends.... I do believe in those kinds of people, but they have to be in a place full of PA and bad history in order for me to take them seriously.

[Mackan]

Originally Posted by willgoestocollege

What you guys think about people who claim they can talk to the dead?

We cannot disprove them trough any scientific basis however these people have really no way of proving that they can either.

People who claim that they can "talk to ghosts" are sometimes liars and "charlatans" that exploit grieving loved ones of people that have often died way before their "time".