I have not seen any ghosts that I know of and I’ve been in the world for almost three decades. My belief in ghosts comes and goes.
If they do exist, I wonder what is it about me that I have not spotted any. And, if I did, why I wasn’t sensitive to its presense. Not just me, what about the other people who have never spotted a ghost?
What makes us different?
Some people see things that aren’t there. This can be caused by various drugs, religious fervor, physical illness, mental illness, illusion, mistake, fnord, misunderstanding, expectation, imagination, poor vision, poor lighting, practical joke, natural phenomena, wishful thinking, trick photography, etc.
There are no ghosts or other supernatural beings.
Logic and reason.
The best This American Life ever had a story about a “haunted house” that was caused by the effects of carbon monoxide poisoning. Once somebody came in and fixed the old gas lamps, the ghosts went away.
Sanity?
Nobody has ever seen a ghost. People who think they see ghosts aren’t seeing anything you don’t see, they just misinterpret sensory data through a more suggestible filter. You hear a squirrel in the attic or see garbage blowing in the wind, and they see a G-G-G-GHOST!!!
Exactly. Everyone knows there are no ghosts.
Now, dead people- I see them everywhere.
The only that makes sense is that one group has a firm grasp of reality and the other doesn’t.
Belief. If you believe in ghosts, you are going to see them. I don’t believe in ghosts, and have never seen them.
Human mind is funny like that.
Exactly. The human brain is really good at picking vague patterns out of noisy environments. So good, in fact, that we often see things that aren’t really there.
I’ve had plenty of experiences where I seen a flicker of movement that looks like a human form. Or a brief glimpse of something that resembles a human face. If I believed in ghosts I’d probably interpret these as sightings. But I know my perceptions are faulty, and that there’s no rigorous evidence for supernatural beings, so instead I just say “meh … whatever” and move on.
In addition to what was already mentioned, I think an extreme ignorance of simple probability is also a large factor. For example, there was that recent footage of a shadow-like something in Neverland Ranch. Even if one believes ghosts are possible, aren’t there a fuckload more regular shadows in the world?
Some of it has to do with ancestry, but there are environmental factors as well. If one is taught to believe in the educational system and accept their view of the world, which basically focuses on the physical world it will be harder, probably impossible to discern the spiritual world. People who tend to question authority and teachings of the educational system remain more open to the spiritual reality.
So, you’re saying that the ignorant, people who reject education, are more likely to adhere to superstition instead of more reasonable claims? Sounds good to me.
Some people hear hoofbeats and instantly think, “Zebras!”
I have not seen a ghost. I have, however, experienced many pretty bizarre things that I haven’t been able to debunk and/or have also been experienced by others. If I hear a strange noise I don’t immediately think of a ghost, I consider if there’s a wind, maybe a window is open, critters on the roof or under the floor, etc. I have a strong belief in life after death and accept the possibility that some who have died might linger and try to make their presence known. My experiences have included sounds, smells, and touches. With one exception, all of my experiences have been relatively pleasant and harmless, pretty much just like brushing by someone on a crowded street and saying a quick, “Oh, excuse me.”
I think wanting to see a ghost makes people more likely to say that they see one when the truth is that their particular experience is easily explained by something pretty normal. However, I have heard of total skeptics who changed their minds about paranormal activity after experiencing something inexplicable.
Both my mom and dad’s sides of the family have many stories of spooky things going on. Maybe some people are just more sensitive, maybe it gets passed on from one generation to the next.
I consider myself well educated and since I’m currently working on a bachelor of science, I’m getting a good understanding of the scientific method and the value of evidence. However, I also have strong religious beliefs (those are not mutually exclusive, by the way) and I’m not arrogant enough to declare that we know absolutely everything there is to know and there is no way that “paranormal” things actually exist. I am open minded enough to consider the possibilities, but pragmatic enough to want a good explanation.
The person who doesn’t see them has a brain, believes in no afterlife and is no longer 12.
The ones who DO see them also has a brain, but chooses not to use it. These are the same people who ask me questions like, “Is New Mexico in Mexico?”
This is usually after they tell me that we never went to the moon, 9/11 was directed by Bush on the bathroom telephone and Area 51 recruits aliens for the military service. Oh, and they go to church too. 
Nah, too harsh. Let’s just say one’s gullible, one’s not.
Ghosts aren’t invisible. They don’t have the ability, nor do most normal standard undead except maybe lichs who know the spell. Many extraplanar creatures like stalkers and shades are invisible, plus some spirits and fey like pixies, but then only if you’re human.
Indeed, they aren’t invisible. You just can’t see them (because they’re imaginary).
Dude, they’re not imaginary! They’re right there in the Monster Manual, with their hit points and Armor Class listed and everything.
[I’m pretty sure that’s what **wolfman** meant by his post]
I’ve seen things out of the corner of my eye, in photographs and the like that I don’t know what they are. Rather than jumping to conclusions that they are ghosts, demons, aliens, god etc. I consider other possibilities. Was it a light reflection? An unusual shadow? Trick of the eye?