Interesting responses:
I have been accused of ignorance of the subject. Well yes, I admitted my ignorance in my very first post; it is a subject that I know next to nothing about, and that is why I joined this forum. I understood that the whole point here was to discuss the topic and dispel such ignorance through the exchange of substantive ideas.
Sadly, my expectations have proven to be somewhat naive, and not been met. Instead, I have been watching a torrent of uninformed opinion, laced with invective and rant.
Virtually all of this has come from one side of the argument, and it is very characteristic of people who are terrified that their cherished beliefs may be shown to be unfounded, so they attack and ridicule rather than reason.
There has been very little of substance presented in this discussion, and I use the word “discussion” very liberally.
In my attempt to introduce some degree of learning into the discussion, I put up a hypothetical proposal for a study into the subject. I made no claim that it was original, profound, definitive, or anything else. It was merely the approach I would use if I were to embark on a study of the subject.
According to “Begbert2”, who seems to have confused me with someone he knows named “Jack”, says this study has already been done. If so, where is the reference to it? I would like to read it, and it could preclude a lot of discussion.
In the absence of reference to previous work, I had expected that people would see the proposal as a means to structure the discussion and focus their ideas as to what the issues are, and how such a study should proceed.
In that this approach only led to more invective and uniformed rant, and there was a conspicuous lack of useful information forthcoming, I did a quick Google search of the topic. I hit on numerous references to work that has been done, or is in progress.
A quick scan of these numerous hits revealed that most of them seemed to support the contention that “ghosts”, whatever they may be, do exist.
Since I only came across these references yesterday, I have not had time to study them. Clearly this will take time. However, some of the true believers take this as a basis for more invective and rant: evidently their approach to research and learning is that you are obliged to have the answers first, then you proceed with the research after.
Clearly, this is the approach they have taken in their own approach to the subject: they have formulated their beliefs, without the inconvenience of reading any research, if it exists.
This is why they have been unable to support their rants with references. Also, not surprisingly, they immediately dismissed and ridiculed the studies that appear to contradict their beliefs.
In light of the fact that my repeated requests for references have gone unanswered, it is a perfectly reasonable assumption on my part that either the material doesn’t exist, or those posting their rants are equally unaware of it. This is consistent with their formulation of beliefs before reviewing the evidence.
What I have learned from this thread is that this is a topic that touches on visceral issues with deep emotional roots.
There is an undercurrent of fear and anger amongst the most vocal of the respondents; clearly, some of their fundamental beliefs are being challenged, and this has evoked a classic defensive response. They are afraid that reasoned discussion will show their beliefs to be unfounded, and they are deadly afraid of where that will lead.
So, in answer to the question posted: to date, few of the responses to my posts have had anything of substance or value to contribute to the topic; they have largely been a vehicle for scorn.
So, for those who just want a forum to air their cherished beliefs, and those that prefer rant to informed discussion, feel free to refrain from responding. To those that want to discuss the subject and learn from each other, please contribute and discuss.