The World's Scariest Ghosts Caught on Tape

[mgdwcb]

Anyone in the UK catch this programme on Channel 4 last Friday (I think)? I only caught it because I fell asleep in front of the TV and woke in the middle of it. There were the inevitable `orbs' but two videos looked interesting. We saw a chair move across the floor, a typewriter and a glass move apparetly by themselves. I think the videos were all made in the USA. Anyone know anything more about them - and whether they have been researched? Sorry I've not more information about the programme, as I didn't have a TV guide. :(

[Correa Neto]

An OT commentary-

Lets suppose ghosts do exist. Now, why do people have to be afraid of them? After all, they would be an evidence of life after death and many quite interesting people to talk to... Rather than scary, they would mean good news, that death is not the end!

So, this is IMHO just another evidence of how irrational such beliefs (and its followers) are.

[flyboy217]

Originally posted by Correa Neto
An OT commentary-

Lets suppose ghosts do exist. Now, why do people have to be afraid of them? After all, they would be an evidence of life after death and many quite interesting people to talk to... Rather than scary, they would mean good news, that death is not the end!

So, this is IMHO just another evidence of how irrational such beliefs (and its followers) are.

Let's suppose tarantulas do exist. Now, why do we have to be afraid of them? None are poisonous enough to hurt us (although some do have 'quills' that can hurt). It would just be evidence of the beautiful variety of life that exists on the planet. They even eat bothersome insects!

So, this is just more evidence of why people who are afraid of tarantulas are irrational. Thus, tarantulas do not exist. QED.


EDIT: I do not believe in ghosts. But it's fun wandering these threads and reading some of the ludicrous arguments presented. "People shouldn't rationally be afraid of X. They are. Thus X do not exist and people who believe in them are crazy" :).

[davidhorman]

Anyone in the UK catch this programme on Channel 4 last Friday (I think)?

Just in case anyone starts forming a bad impression of Channel 4, it was actually on ITV. I work for an ITV region so I'm saying nothing :biggrin:

David

[chrisberez]

I live in the U.S., not the UK so I wouldn't have been able to see this particular program. But if it was anything like the programs run by the Discovery channel from time to time, then it was a lot of footage of people swearing they saw a ghost or felt a presence or any other such nonsense. I don't believe in ghosts, and these programs are usually all easily explainable nonsense, but I still tend to like these programs. It's like telling ghost stories around a campfire. I like to watch them when they're on. It's really no different then watching a horror film for me.

Of course I'm annoyed that this sort of psedoscience is pushed off as fact with little or any skeptical input, but for my own personal tastes I still think they are fun.

[JimTheBrit]

Originally posted by flyboy217


Let's suppose tarantulas do exist. Now, why do we have to be afraid of them? None are poisonous enough to hurt us (although some do have 'quills' that can hurt). It would just be evidence of the beautiful variety of life that exists on the planet. They even eat bothersome insects!

So, this is just more evidence of why people who are afraid of tarantulas are irrational. Thus, tarantulas do not exist. QED.


EDIT: I do not believe in ghosts. But it's fun wandering these threads and reading some of the ludicrous arguments presented. "People shouldn't rationally be afraid of X. They are. Thus X do not exist and people who believe in them are crazy" :). Is Correa Neto referring to the belief in the existence of ghosts or people's fear of them when he/she talks of "how irrational such beliefs (and its followers) are"?

[Correa Neto]

Originally posted by flyboy217


Let's suppose tarantulas do exist. Now, why do we have to be afraid of them? None are poisonous enough to hurt us (although some do have 'quills' that can hurt). It would just be evidence of the beautiful variety of life that exists on the planet. They even eat bothersome insects!

So, this is just more evidence of why people who are afraid of tarantulas are irrational. Thus, tarantulas do not exist. QED.


EDIT: I do not believe in ghosts. But it's fun wandering these threads and reading some of the ludicrous arguments presented. "People shouldn't rationally be afraid of X. They are. Thus X do not exist and people who believe in them are crazy" :).

You simply misunderstood my point. The "ludicrous arguments presented" was not "People shouldn't rationally be afraid of X. They are. Thus X do not exist and people who believe in them are crazy".

Neither " So, this is just more evidence of why people who are afraid of tarantulas are irrational. Thus, tarantulas do not exist. QED." These are oversimplifications and a poor analogy. At no point I wrote that the fact that people are afraid of ghosts means that there are no ghosts. I was pointing to what to me seems to be a contradiction within the belief in ghosts.

Now, I really do not like (big) spiders (me) and I am typing from a place where crab spiders are common...

I am aware that most of them can´t really seriously hurt me (sure there are exceptional cases). I am also aware that its a completely unjustified distaste. I am aware that my fear of (big) spiders is irrational. Knowing that it is baseless makes it even more irrational.

My distaste for spiders is irrational, since it is independent from (and despite) what I know about them. When it comes to this aspect, I am behaving in an irrational way.

So, following the same reasoning, fear of ghosts (despite the fact that they would be - if real- proof of life after death and in some cases people known and loved by the witnesses - something far more important than a stinging eight-legged crawler) is, QED, irrational.

When it comes to ghosts, people who belive in them - and are afraid of them- are being irrational and incoherent, according to my point of view. Just like I am when I see a crab spider and want it away from me ASAP.

Hey Jim, I´m a he...

Just to clear the case, I never saw (or heard or read about) any evidence that ghosts are real. I think the evidence against the reality of ghosts far outweights "evidence" (note the ") favorable to. So, if beliving in something that is not supported by evidence is irrational, then yes, I would say that belief in ghosts is irrational. But following this line risks to derail the thread...

edited for some typos, sure, there are still a lot left and for a better understanding

[flyboy217]

Originally posted by Correa Neto


You simply misunderstood my point. The "ludicrous arguments presented" was not "People shouldn't rationally be afraid of X. They are. Thus X do not exist and people who believe in them are crazy".

Neither " So, this is just more evidence of why people who are afraid of tarantulas are irrational. Thus, tarantulas do not exist. QED." These are oversimplifications and a poor analogy. At no point I wrote that the fact that people are afraid of ghosts means that there are no ghosts. I was pointing to what to me seems to be a contradiction within the belief in ghosts.

Now, I really do not like (big) spiders (me) and I am typing from a place where crab spiders are common...

I am aware that most of them can´t really seriously hurt me (sure there are exceptional cases). I am also aware that its a completely unjustified distaste. I am aware that my fear of (big) spiders is irrational. Knowing that it is baseless makes it even more irrational.

My distaste for spiders is irrational, since it is independent from (and despite) what I know about them. When it comes to this aspect, I am behaving in an irrational way.

So, following the same reasoning, fear of ghosts (despite the fact that they would be - if real- proof of life after death and in some cases people known and loved by the witnesses - something far more important than a stinging eight-legged crawler) is, QED, irrational.

When it comes to ghosts, people who belive in them - and are afraid of them- are being irrational and incoherent, according to my point of view. Just like I am when I see a crab spider and want it away from me ASAP.

Hey Jim, I´m a he...

Just to clear the case, I never saw (or heard or read about) any evidence that ghosts are real. I think the evidence against the reality of ghosts far outweights "evidence" (note the ") favorable to. So, if beliving in something that is not supported by evidence is irrational, then yes, I would say that belief in ghosts is irrational. But following this line risks to derail the thread...

edited for some typos, sure, there are still a lot left and for a better understanding

In that case, apologies for misunderstanding.

When you say "how irrational such beliefs (and its followers) are," does that mean people are irrational for having arachnophobia? I, too, have a fear of spiders, and while I consider this an irrational fear, I don't consider myself (or arachnophobes in general) to be irrational people.

Maybe just a difference in opinion there.

[Correa Neto]

Originally posted by flyboy217


In that case, apologies for misunderstanding.

No problem. I may not have expressed myself clear enough.

Originally posted by flyboy217

When you say "how irrational such beliefs (and its followers) are," does that mean people are irrational for having arachnophobia...snip...

Nope, it just means that people are ehxibiting an irrational behavior in that particular aspect. Specially when you notice that we all know that most spiders can´t do us any serious harm (even the big ones) and preffer to stay out of our way (uh... at least that what they say about them). So, we know they can´t harm us (in most cases) but we still are afraid of them. Actually I can think of a number of situations where an arachnophobic can be harmed him/herself due to his/hers reaction to the poor critter! So, that´s not rational. The person can be perfectly rational when it comes to all aspects other than spiders.

Example- I do like scorpions, pseudoscorpions, daddy-long-legs. Its usually me who moves the snakes away from the tracks (and comes quite close to take that picture), removes the lizzards from the smooth floor and frogs from bathrooms, bats from rooms, etc. But I have an enormous difficulty doing the same with crab spiders. Go figure!

[rppa]

Originally posted by mgdwcb
We saw a chair move across the floor, a typewriter and a glass move apparetly by themselves.

I don't know about the typewriter and chair, but the mysteriously moving glass (or soda can) is a fairly common phenomenon. I remember a correspondent in Randi's column writing in with both the observation, the temporary supernatural chill he felt, and then the analysis.

Basically it has to do with a cold object and condensation. Get a few drops under the glass (as they will by capillary action) and suddenly the table is frictionless. The glass slides down any microscopic irregularity.

[kieran]

Everyone knows that the world's :eek:scariest:eek: ghosts are in Scooby Do!
They can't be explained quite so easily .... :crazy:

[Hand Bent Spoon]

^Sure they can. They're trying to scare everyone away so they can buy the property cheap/hide their illegal activities, and they would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids! :D

[flyboy217]

Originally posted by Correa Neto


No problem. I may not have expressed myself clear enough.



After re-reading it, I think I see where my confusion came from. Fear of ghosts is not a belief. Belief in ghosts is a belief, and it seemed to be the only applicable one in your post. Hence it sounds like "belief in ghosts (and people who hold such beliefs) is irrational."

I could be forgiven for assuming that you find believing in ghosts to be irrational, eh? ;)

[Marian]

Originally posted by kieran
Everyone knows that the world's :eek:scariest:eek: ghosts are in Scooby Do!
They can't be explained quite so easily .... :crazy:

Sorry this is a picture of the world's scariest ghosts!! Real ones too!!



http://eqscreenshot.homestead.com/files/255.jpg