# I pit Halloween for bringing the woo-woos out! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 17, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669 "2004-10-17T14:28:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/21 "2004-10-17T21:00:26Z")
Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. But all in all, Halloween rocks. We need more holidays that are pretty much _just_ about the holiday rather than celebrating some other thing besides celebrating. ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/22 "2004-10-17T21:12:04Z")
**Scumpup** , I think you just need to adjust your tinfoil-covered pyramid shaped hat and have your chakras realigned. I am one of those believers in “supernatural horseshit” as you so eloquently stated. Actually, “believer” is too strong a word. Intriqued would be a better word. I am as skeptical as it’s possible to be without dismissing the possibilty that there are a few things in this world that are really and truly unexplainable. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/23 "2004-10-17T21:24:39Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > I am as skeptical as it’s possible to be without dismissing the possibilty that there are a few things in this world that are really and truly unexplainable. How do you decide that something is inexplicable, and that it’s time to abandon the scientific approach, and chalk it up to “energy vortices,” or some such unmeasurable entity? ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/24 "2004-10-17T21:52:19Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > How do you decide that something is inexplicable, and that it’s time to abandon the scientific approach, and chalk it up to “energy vortices,” or some such unmeasurable entity? It’s not so much that I decide something is inexplicable, it’s more that I think it would be impossible to scientifically prove that some aspects of the paranormal, ghosts for example, do _not_ exist. You can cite examples that explain ghostly activity all day long, but can it actually be proven conclusively that ghosts don’t exist? If someday science does come up with a rational explanation to explain away all instances of ghosts, then I would cease to call them inexplicable. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/25 "2004-10-17T22:07:59Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > You can cite examples that explain ghostly activity all day long, but can it actually be proven conclusively that ghosts don’t exist? I just never get to that point. I don’t need to prove that ghosts don’t exist. I don’t need to explain ghostly activity. Why? Because I’ve never seen any evidence that “ghostly activity” ever actually occurs. No need to explain a phenomenon that doesn’t exist in the first place. If you’re going to skip over that threshold, you’re in no-man’s land, and are likely to buy into almost anything. ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/26 "2004-10-17T22:08:09Z")
During Halloween, the supernatural is real. ---
**Author:** ![ninetypercent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9de0a6/32.png) [@ninetypercent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninetypercent)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/27 "2004-10-17T22:09:12Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > I just never get to that point. I don’t need to prove that ghosts don’t exist. I don’t need to explain ghostly activity. Why? Because I’ve never seen any evidence that “ghostly activity” ever actually occurs. No need to explain a phenomenon that doesn’t exist in the first place. If you’re going to skip over that threshold, you’re in no-man’s land, and are likely to buy into almost anything. I have. Therefore, ghosts exist. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/28 "2004-10-17T22:54:27Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > It’s not so much that I decide something is inexplicable, it’s more that I think it would be impossible to scientifically prove that some aspects of the paranormal, ghosts for example, do _not_ exist. Null statement. You cannot prove that nuclear ninja death sponges do not exist, either. > [@](#): > > You can cite examples that explain ghostly activity all day long, but can it actually be proven conclusively that ghosts don’t exist? Give me a list of all the cases in which we are to abandon Occam’s razor, please. > [@](#): > > If someday science does come up with a rational explanation to explain away all instances of ghosts, then I would cease to call them inexplicable. Another null statement: If you can reliably explain something, it cannot be inexplicable. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/29 "2004-10-17T22:55:43Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > I am as skeptical as it’s possible to be without dismissing the possibilty that there are a few things in this world that are really and truly unexplainable. There’s nothing unexplainable, there’s just stuff that hasn’t been explained _yet_. ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/30 "2004-10-17T23:04:55Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > You cannot prove that nuclear ninja death sponges do not exist, either. That’s because they do. My mother’s cousin’s boyfriend’s hairdresser saw one once. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/31 "2004-10-17T23:07:06Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > You cannot prove that nuclear ninja death sponges do not exist, either. Yeah, but then how do you explain all the nuclear ninja death sponge activity? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/32 "2004-10-17T23:08:26Z")
There are more things on Mars and in the Earth than can be explained by your skepticism, dear Watson. Ghosts and such are so passe. Psionic alien ninja ghosts come to restructure the goverment and steal your souls are the real fear this year. D&R ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/33 "2004-10-17T23:20:11Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Give me a list of all the cases in which we are to abandon Occam’s razor, please. I think that 99.99% of all instances of paranormal activity _are_ explainable but it’s that tiny fraction of percent that I think remains unexplainable after all rational possibilities are exhausted. Plus, I personally find life more interesting if I accept the possibility there are things out there that we can’t readily explain. Like nuclear ninja death sponges. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/34 "2004-10-17T23:32:46Z")
Woo-woos? For a moment there I thought you were talking about my girl dogs, one of whom we call “Woo” (she’s a malamute). Um, never mind. Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![chique](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@chique](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chique)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/35 "2004-10-17T23:33:20Z")
> [@Early Out](#): > > It’s really inexcusable that cable channels like _The History Channel_, _Discovery_, and _The Learning Channel_ trot out uncritical “documentaries” about this kind of nonsense. Yes, I know that TV is all about “entertainment,” but a well-done debunking can be just as entertaining as an evidence-impaired speculation show. When the movie _Signs_ came out, NBC’s _The Today Show_ did a 20 minute expose about the “mysterious” signs and symbols found in the nation’s corn fields. Gack. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/36 "2004-10-17T23:58:09Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > I think that 99.99% of all instances of paranormal activity _are_ explainable but it’s that tiny fraction of percent that I think remains unexplainable after all rational possibilities are exhausted. There are things that we can’t fully explain because we will never have enough data to rule out all possible _and likely_ explanations, or that we will never spend the amount of time and money needed to rule them out. There are things we can’t fully explain because we don’t yet have the understanding of the natural world to think of even one likely explanation. But to posit things like ghosts is simply dishonest intellectually. It makes unnecessary work for those who really and honestly want to prune the number of working hypotheses. Ghosts can be applied to literally any situation and be equally likely as the cause for all of them, so it’s impossible to rule them out once you’ve accepted them. Ghosts can’t be studied, so once you accept ghosts as the cause your chain of inquiry ceases and you are left no better off than before. Finally, ghosts cannot be controlled, so saying something is caused by ghosts is saying it is firmly beyond the comprehension and actions of humans. > [@](#): > > Plus, I personally find life more interesting if I accept the possibility there are things out there that we can’t readily explain. There _are_ things that we can’t readily explain. Like, how do you rectify gravity with the quantum effects we have observed? Or how does the human brain, a couple pounds of electrical cholesterol, manage to think and become self-aware? We don’t have all the answers. We don’t claim to. But we can still keep looking, instead of sticking our heads in the sand and positing the existence of beings without evidence or end. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/37 "2004-10-18T02:02:33Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > Like nuclear ninja death sponges. 😛 1920’s style nuclear ninja death sponges? ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/38 "2004-10-18T02:15:25Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > There _are_ things that we can’t readily explain. Like, how do you rectify gravity with the quantum effects we have observed? Or how does the human brain, a couple pounds of electrical cholesterol, manage to think and become self-aware? We don’t have all the answers. We don’t claim to. But we can still keep looking, instead of sticking our heads in the sand and positing the existence of beings without evidence or end. I’m all for finding a rational explanation of ghosts (or any aspect of the paranormal that remains unexplained) and there may well be a rational explanation for all of it, but until there is I prefer to keep the paranormal within my realm of explanations. Like I said above, it just keeps life interesting. **Epimetheus** –Well, of course they were 1920s style nuclear ninja death sponges. Is there any other kind? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/39 "2004-10-18T02:47:36Z")
> [@Greywolf73](#): > > I’m all for finding a rational explanation of ghosts (or any aspect of the paranormal that remains unexplained) and there may well be a rational explanation for all of it, but until there is I prefer to keep the paranormal within my realm of explanations. Why would anyone feel the need to find a rational explanation of ghosts? How about finding a rational explanation for leprechauns? How about finding a rational explanation for nuclear ninja…? You just don’t get it, do you? You’re starting with the assumption that there _is_ something that requires an explanation. You call it “ghosts.” In short, you’ve already decided that there are ghosts, and now you’re looking for an explanation for them. What has led you to conclude that there are ghosts? You say, “…there may well be a rational explanation for all of it…” What is “all of it?” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669/40 "2004-10-18T03:03:57Z")
I tried to join the nuclear ninja death sponges, but they said I wasn’t nuclear ninja death sponge-worthy. Of course, it was all Newman’s fault. Incidentally, Daffy Duck said “Woo-hoo!” , not “Woo-woo!” [sub]You keep out of this! He does not have to shoot you now![/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-halloween-for-bringing-the-woo-woos-out/269669.md?page=3)