I have a glass full of ice and water in front of me right now (no scotch, though). 
It’s not the same water.
Point… it will be soon though. Or the same urine, whichever.
Right! Since my glass of ice water let me down so badly just now, I have transmogrified it into a glass of ice and gin & tonic!
I now officially believe in spirits!
[sub]no scotch in the house…[/sub]
Okay, my bad. Discussions of ghosts and paranormal things are not taboo on these boards; they’re just not done.
Actually, this discussion has gone much better than discussions of these topics usually do. Maybe the hard-core, “there is no such things as ghosts and we will not waste our time discussing it” Dopers have left.
It’s done all the time. Can you show a cite for anyone saying they don’t want to discuss it?
We are discussing it. We’re pointing out why the OP’s question is phrased so as to be almost meaningless.
Horatio’s Law states that the first person who drags a character created by a 17th Century playwright in as an expert witness on the “paranormal” has automatically forfeited the discussion, i’faith. No-one ever cites Hotspur, who not only had a fine sceptical sensibility, but an innate understanding of the slipperiness of language:
{Glendower} I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
{Hotspur} Why, so can I, or so can any man;/ But will they come when you do call for them?
Pffft. Discussion of allegations of the paranormal is one of the main things I participate in on these boards. If you don’t think such discussions “are done” here, you must be a habitue of some other 'Dope. But you know that.
As **Dio ** says, what you really mean is that ghosts are one of those topics that is often raised, but can’t stand the heat once other dopers demand reliable cites and logic.
Belief in ghosts can (like belief in religion and other paranormal things) be rather preciously held, and believers often get very huffy very quickly when they find their beliefs under threat.
I would venture that that speaks more to the naivete of question than the sophistication of the audience. Or is it your position that blind acceptance = understanding?
Do you allow for the possibility that ghosts exist when you teach them? If so, you do them a great disservice. You should not be teaching superstitious mumbo jumbo to impressionable children.
- Why are they so damn rare? Every old house, cemetary, morgue, etc., ought to be crawling with them!
20 They seem to be able to impart very little information to the living-so why do they bother with frightening people? - If indedd 9as their belivers say0 ghost are like recordings, and are not conscious of the living-then why the menacing appearence/behaviour of these beings?
- they are said to be “trapped” in some way-unable to ‘move on’ into a higher plane of existance. So if we have a ghost 9say of a medieval knight), whose been hanging around an old battlefield for, say 900 years-isn’t that a trifle LONG to be stuck?
- exorcism; various rituals are said to make a ghost leave a haunted premise-given that they are immaterial beings, why should they be bothered by anexorcism/
As i say, i’d like to believe-but there is too much about the concept that just doesn’t make any sense!
I am quite happy to believe in things, provided there is evidence.
I believe in gravity, microwaves, the Internet and the likely existence of life somewhere else in the Universe.
I don’t believe in ghosts, God, spiritualists or the Loch Ness Monster.
There are certainly a lot of people who believe in ghosts.
Unfortunately they have no evidence, apart from personal experience.
It would be great to see a picture (or film) of a ghost. It would be useful to see one appear repeatedly and be detected by scientific instruments.
There are people who claim to talk to ghosts and who will accept your money to transmit messages to them.
Unfortunately there has been a lot of fraud in this area - and no proof.
Derren Brown (UK Illusionist) convinced a bunch of peole that ghosts exist on his TV program. He states:
‘I start by picking the right people. Young people, who are more open-minded, and artistic people, who have vivid imaginations, are often particularly suggestible. Those in my show are young students, many of them studying arts subjects.’
http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/M/mindcontrol/trick/seance.html
Seems like you feel you have something to say on the topic. Why not share your thoughts? Why do you believe in ghosts, and why do you think it’s wrong for other people not to?
I’ve already said what I have to say on this topic. If other Dopers think that the Straight Dope has great, open-minded, give-and-take discussions on the paranormal, I guess their mileage is varying.
You’re the one who started this digression, featherlou. You made some accusations, and now when you’ve been challenged to back them up, you’re going to run away?
By the way, there’s just a little bit of irony in the fact that you’re the only one in the thread who is unwilling to discuss the topic.
Eyewitness accounts of ghosts mean nothing to me. I never believed in them anyway but just watch five eyewitnesses after an accident. Any 5! You pick. And watch their stories differ wildly from each other.
Our senses fool us all the time. If you can find me other evidence than eyewitness accounts, then I’m listening. No dice otherwise. I want to be able to measure, quantify, and have other people be able to repeat my experiments evey time flawlessly. That is the way science does it and I won’t take things on faith - because I can’t.
Seriously. featherlou, I would love to have a conversation like that, but I don’t know where to begin. Why don’t you get us started? If you’ve tried before, can you show me a link?
Not only does no one here appear to believe in ghosts, they seem to have a hard time believing in certain other mythical beasts. . .
I have a firm belief in minotaurs. 