WHAT IF IT COULD BE PROVED THAT GHOSTS EXIST?

[thomasallencummins]

I've posted questions like this before at Kevinswatch but I can't find it so I'm doing it again.
What if it could be proved, beyond any doubt, by proven and reliable scientific methods that ghosts/spirits/poltergeists exist?
An example of the impact socially: Those that are Atheists or Agnostics might revisit their belief systems if the revelation that there is indeed an existence beyond our physical selves. An afterlife may not exactly prove that there is a supreme being but it certainly would give some people something new to think about. This concept has interested me for many years. Perhaps because a ghostly existence has been portrayed so effectively in many respected feature films and television or that I like playing the what if game. I dunno. ;D
For the record I do believe in an God and an afterlife.

[buzzelbee]

I saw a ghost once...it was Halloween...

[Avatar]

It would certainly cause a revisitation of the ideas that people have about existance.

--A

[buzzelbee]

I agree...just having a little fun..I am Catholic.

[Avatar]

That's ok, I won''t hold it against you. I was raised a Catholic. LOL

--A

[buzzelbee]

There is a tv program that airs here in the U.S. called "Ghost Hunters"...I believe it is on Sci-Fi Channel...their team (T.A.P.S.) try to collect evidence for anyone who wants to seek answers such as homeowners and different establishments....its the only one I am familiar with of its kind...im sure there are more.

[thomasallencummins]

buzzelbee said:

There is a tv program that airs here in the U.S. called "Ghost Hunters"...I believe it is on Sci-Fi Channel...their team (T.A.P.S.) try to collect evidence for anyone who wants to seek answers such as homeowners and different establishments....its the only one I am familiar with of its kind...im sure there are more.

I watch sci fi a lot but I've never watched Ghost Hunters. I have of course seen the program advertised many times so I knew it was there. It would be cool to check it out.

[Avatar]

Sounds interesting. There have been a few other "paranormal investigator" type shows over the years too. The problem is, nothing conclusive ever comes out of it.

--A

[dANdeLION]

I think there are ghosts on Uranus.

[Cad Zombie]

Maybe uranus

[Cad Zombie]

Who here has ever actually seen what they believe to be a non corporeal entity?

[Avatar]

Not me. Not sober / straight anyway. LOL

--A

[ram]

I don't know how I'd react to seeing a ghost. It's hard for me to believe in the existence of ghosts, since it's easy for the mind to be tricked into seeing things that aren't there, especially if you happen to be in an already spooky setting like a "haunted" house. Every little noise sends the imagination overboard.

That's the problem. It would be cool to see a genuine ghost for myself, but if I go to a "haunted" house, I'm not sure that it would prove anything, because it's such a suggestive environment that my "irrational" imagination would betray my "rational" logical side. In other words, put people in a haunted house for the night and I'll bet you they'll "see" ghosts all right, whether or not ghosts are actually there.

On the other hand, because it seems that ghosts are most likely to hang around dark and deserted places, those would be the best areas to try and definitively "capture" a ghost. I mean, where else are you gonna go? Where else would they go?

buzzelbee mentioned "Ghost Hunters"; it sounds just like a show I sometimes catch, maybe it's even the same show, but the version I watch is called "Haunted Places." It's the same idea: a team of paranormal "experts" sets up for the night in a supposedly haunted place. For the rest of the show, they stumble around in the dark with video cameras in "night vision" mode, giving you the viewer an over-the-shoulder experience following them as they try to hunt down their ghostly prey. It's all very Blair Witch, and I'm sure it's deliberate. The team has, of course, a psychic who is "in tune" with whatever paranormal energy is present.

So, you can either accept these kinds of shows at face value or just think it's all bunk. I try to have an open mind, but the problem, as Avatar says, is that no conclusive evidence ever comes out of these shows. "Where's the Beef?" was the question posed by that famous Wendy's commercial. Well, here the question is, Where's the Ghost? All we get after each episode is the earnest team relating their feelings about their overnight stay:

"You know, I really felt something in there."
"Yeah, me too!"

If ghosts were proven to exist...that would be cool! I'm not sure how much social impact it would have, because most people when polled seem to already believe in ghosts anyway. It would just confirm a widespread belief. I agree with what Atomic said: it would probably have more impact on how Atheists view the world.

[Avatar]

Good post Ram.

And yeah, ghosts are not incompatible with most religions, since they tend to posit afterlives.

--A

[thomasallencummins]

Well, what I imagine would be some kind of concrete evidence that would be acceptable to the point that the term "ghost" would lose its spook factor and end up studied by dedicated scientists. I would expect that the whole concept would be indentified or explained in scientific terms that intermingle with advanced physics ie multiple dimensions, life forms of pure energy etc. but clearly identified as the dearly departed from this reality. I think I'll write a short story explaining my ideas in dramatic terms. Might be lots of fun. :-)