Alternative Ghosts

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I had some "paranormal" stuff happen about 6 months ago that I don't want to get into but I can assure you was not explainable using normal explanations. However, I came up with this theory that ghosts are a manifestation of the mind and nothing more. What do you think?

[Astrolinium]

I think this OP needs more substance and that Alternative Ghosts should be the name of a weird indie band.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I think this OP needs more substance and that Alternative Ghosts should be the name of a weird indie band.

Basically one creates a ghost with their mind. Perhaps unconscious as we use only about 90% of our mind or something like that. Anyways I think that perhaps ghost sightings and objects moving etc. that cannot be proven with a normal explanation can be attributed to a projection of one's thoughts which arises from a conception, that is belief in the paranormal. It is similar to the "tulpas" of the old tibetan mystics. Just a thought. I mean I could have been crazy, but that fact that everything that happened was something that I, or one of my 3 friends that witnessed it had thought about or spoken outloud before it actually occured (usually only a couple minutes before hand) tells me that it may have been the surroundings responding to some kind of brainwave or something that we were having.

[Ifreann]

I had some "paranormal" stuff happen about 6 months ago that I don't want to get into but I can assure you was not explainable using normal explanations.

I dismiss your assurances and conclude that you didn't try hard enough to find a mundane explanation.

---

I think this OP needs more substance and that Alternative Ghosts should be the name of a weird indie band.

Basically one creates a ghost with their mind. Perhaps unconscious as we use only about 90% of our mind or something like that.

That's a popular misconception. We use all of our brains, just not at once, normally.

Anyways I think that perhaps ghost sightings and objects moving etc. that cannot be proven with a normal explanation can be attributed to a projection of one's thoughts which arises from a conception, that is belief in the paranormal.

As above, I find it far more likely that mundane explanations simply haven't been found.

It is similar to the "tulpas" of the old tibetan mystics. Just a thought. I mean I could have been crazy, but that fact that everything that happened was something that I, or one of my 3 friends that witnessed it had thought about or spoken outloud before it actually occured (usually only a couple minutes before hand) tells me that it may have been the surroundings responding to some kind of brainwave or something that we were having.

Seems like confirmation bias to me. You are misremembering and misinterpreting events to better fit your notions about the paranormal.

[Vousielle]

A plausible alternative: http://www.skepdic.com/infrasound.html

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I had some "paranormal" stuff happen about 6 months ago that I don't want to get into but I can assure you was not explainable using normal explanations.

I dismiss your assurances and conclude that you didn't try hard enough to find a mundane explanation.

---

Basically one creates a ghost with their mind. Perhaps unconscious as we use only about 90% of our mind or something like that.

That's a popular misconception. We use all of our brains, just not at once, normally.

Anyways I think that perhaps ghost sightings and objects moving etc. that cannot be proven with a normal explanation can be attributed to a projection of one's thoughts which arises from a conception, that is belief in the paranormal.

As above, I find it far more likely that mundane explanations simply haven't been found.

It is similar to the "tulpas" of the old tibetan mystics. Just a thought. I mean I could have been crazy, but that fact that everything that happened was something that I, or one of my 3 friends that witnessed it had thought about or spoken outloud before it actually occured (usually only a couple minutes before hand) tells me that it may have been the surroundings responding to some kind of brainwave or something that we were having.

Seems like confirmation bias to me. You are misremembering and misinterpreting events to better fit your notions about the paranormal.

Maybe but I know that what I experienced, mostly you know having quarters and pens being thrown at me from across the room or having multiple dimes drop out of air vents, being put onto a table to watch and then disappearing and doing the same thing 5 minutes later, doesn't have a normal explanation

[Ifreann]

I dismiss your assurances and conclude that you didn't try hard enough to find a mundane explanation.

---

That's a popular misconception. We use all of our brains, just not at once, normally.

As above, I find it far more likely that mundane explanations simply haven't been found.

Seems like confirmation bias to me. You are misremembering and misinterpreting events to better fit your notions about the paranormal.

Maybe but I know that what I experienced, mostly you know having quarters and pens being thrown at me from across the room or having multiple dimes drop out of air vents, being put onto a table to watch and then disappearing and doing the same thing 5 minutes later, doesn't have a normal explanation

Your assessment is naturally not trustworthy. When an independent third party has investigated your phenomena and found them to be inexplicable then I'll listen.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

Maybe but I know that what I experienced, mostly you know having quarters and pens being thrown at me from across the room or having multiple dimes drop out of air vents, being put onto a table to watch and then disappearing and doing the same thing 5 minutes later, doesn't have a normal explanation

Your assessment is naturally not trustworthy. When an independent third party has investigated your phenomena and found them to be inexplicable then I'll listen.

Well lets just say it stopped when I stopped believing in it. That is why I think it was all in my mind and my friends mind. I used to think exactly like you, and I still do really. I won't except anything without proof. In many ways I still don't believe I saw what I saw but it is there all the same

[Ifreann]

Your assessment is naturally not trustworthy. When an independent third party has investigated your phenomena and found them to be inexplicable then I'll listen.

Well lets just say it stopped when I stopped believing in it. That is why I think it was all in my mind and my friends mind. I used to think exactly like you, and I still do really. I won't except anything without proof. In many ways I still don't believe I saw what I saw but it is there all the same

And which do you think is more likely:
1) You are wrong in some way about what you experienced.
2) You have magical powers.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

Well lets just say it stopped when I stopped believing in it. That is why I think it was all in my mind and my friends mind. I used to think exactly like you, and I still do really. I won't except anything without proof. In many ways I still don't believe I saw what I saw but it is there all the same

And which do you think is more likely:
1) You are wrong in some way about what you experienced.
2) You have magical powers.

I don't think it's magical, not at all. If I can do it, and keep in mind that this is purely speculative, then so can anyone else.
Based upon the evidence clearly the first choice is correct

[Ifreann]

And which do you think is more likely:
1) You are wrong in some way about what you experienced.
2) You have magical powers.

I don't think it's magical, not at all. If I can do it, and keep in mind that this is purely speculative, then so can anyone else.
Based upon the evidence clearly the first choice is correct

I am getting a lot of mileage out of that image.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I don't think it's magical, not at all. If I can do it, and keep in mind that this is purely speculative, then so can anyone else.
Based upon the evidence clearly the first choice is correct

I am getting a lot of mileage out of that image.

One day science will find an explanation for it. I really believe that. That is all.

[Daistallia 2104]

We use all of our brains, just not at once, normally.

Even that's a bit iffy. AFAIK, the only parts of the brain not in constant use are seriously injured or dead.

[Tubbsalot]

I came up with this theory that ghosts are a manifestation of the mind and nothing more. What do you think?

Ohhhhh, you were so so so so close.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I came up with this theory that ghosts are a manifestation of the mind and nothing more. What do you think?

Ohhhhh, you were so so so so close.

what did I miss?

[Tubbsalot]

We use all of our brains, just not at once, normally.

Even that's a bit iffy. AFAIK, the only parts of the brain not in constant use are seriously injured or dead.

Depends what you mean by "use."

[Tubbsalot]

Ohhhhh, you were so so so so close.

what did I miss?

The specific manner in which the mind creates paranormal activity. Perhaps a better word than 'creates' would be 'suggests.'

Or maybe it was 'creating' it, because you were hallucinating, and it's just that creation entailed atypical neural activity rather than physically conjuring up ghosts from the aether.

[Peoples Republic of Love]

what did I miss?

The specific manner in which the mind creates paranormal activity. Perhaps a better word than 'creates' would be 'suggests.'

Or maybe it was 'creating' it, because you were hallucinating, and it's just that creation entailed atypical neural activity rather than physically conjuring up ghosts from the aether.

I wasn't hallucinating.

[Tubbsalot]

I wasn't hallucinating.

Estimated probability that your statement is supported by evidence: ¹/_100,000,000

[Peoples Republic of Love]

I wasn't hallucinating.

Estimated probability that your statement is supported by evidence: ¹/_100,000,000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2lq1P8vr80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8wpEUH7 ... re=channel
My friend got video of this and it "followed" him for about 3 months

[Tubbsalot]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2lq1P8vr80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8wpEUH7 ... re=channel
My friend got video of this and it "followed" him for about 3 months

"Videos from a guy" aren't acceptable proof of anything. These are especially poor because:
- the videos are poor quality
- there are no witnesses other than the cameraman
- there are plenty of mundane explanations for the events in the video
- there is neither proof nor a proposed mechanism for the manifestation of ghostly activity on Earth
- they don't support your assertion that you, personally, were not hallucinating in the instance mentioned in the OP

[Peoples Republic of Love]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2lq1P8vr80
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8wpEUH7 ... re=channel
My friend got video of this and it "followed" him for about 3 months

"Videos from a guy" aren't acceptable proof of anything. These are especially poor because:
- the videos are poor quality
- there are no witnesses other than the cameraman
- there are plenty of mundane explanations for the events in the video
- there is neither proof nor a proposed mechanism for the manifestation of ghostly activity on Earth
- they don't support your assertion that you, personally, were not hallucinating in the instance mentioned in the OP

look its the closest I've got. thats the kind of shit that happened all the time, plus some phone calls that had tons of static and disembodied voices etc.

[Daistallia 2104]

Even that's a bit iffy. AFAIK, the only parts of the brain not in constant use are seriously injured or dead.

Depends what you mean by "use."

If there is activity, it's in use.

[Tubbsalot]

look its the closest I've got.

Yes, that's my point. You have no proof, and neither does anyone else in the entire world. Billions have lived and died across 150 million square kilometres of ground and tens of thousands of years, and yet nobody has any decent proof.

So what's more likely:
- that every ghost which has ever existed has been able to distinguish between serious investigators and jumpy laymen, and they've all decided unanimously to fuck with every layman they see
or...
- that a lot of people think they've seen things that they haven't?

I'll give you a hint: we know with absolute certainty that the brain is extremely inclined towards perceiving things which aren't actually there. The monster under the bed at night (a presence which is entirely psychological), the animal lurking in the bushes in the dark (actually a leaf falling), etc etc etc.

And we know with almost absolute certainty that there's no such thing as ghosts.

Maybe that last hint was a little strong?

[Segland]

I wasn't hallucinating.

Estimated probability that your statement is supported by evidence: ¹/_{100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000}

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