> Not just the US. Such beliefs are widespread around the world. More people in the world (by a significant margin) claim to believe in ghosts than in any religion.
>

I think you're right. After talking to a few people about it, it seems my initial impression that such beliefs were higher in the U.S. was incorrect.

I'm now more of the opinion that such beliefs have more to do with natural human tendencies to think certain ways, rather than being the effect of living in a particular society.

> Overall, I don't see any harm coming from such beliefs (unless, as you say, they are taken to an unhealthy extreme. But that can be said of anything).
>

I'm also a little less sure about this part. If someone beliefs that some people have psychic powers (such as prophecy, far-seeing, etc.), then they're going to be worse off no matter what. Maybe they'll waste a large sum of money getting a "reading" in person or by phone. Maybe they'll get one for free, but in any case they'll be getting unreliable advice. Still, it's not life-threatening in the vast majority of cases, I suppose.

> Besides, it might even be truth.
>

Okay, I'll assume you're talking about the existence of ghosts (since that's where this thread started). Sure, anything might be the truth. That's hardly saying much from a philosophical standpoint. And unlike a belief in psychic powers, a belief in ghosts alone can hardly be considered at all dangerous.

However, there comes a certain peace of mind knowing that you have looked at a great deal of the evidence pertaining to a phenomenon and chosen the alternative which is most reasonable. For me, personally, it might be more thrilling to believe that ghosts exist and are watching what people do -- I'd be delighted if that turned out to really be the case. The same would be true for many other things, such as telekinesis, out-of-body experiences, and the ability to speak with the dead. Who wouldn't want to be able to experience things like that?

The fact remains, though, that reason leads me to disbelieve in such things as ghosts, psychic powers, and alien abductions (do we actually want this one to be a truth?) Out of the millions of anecdotes of what would loosely be termed "paranormal", not ONE has been verified when put to the test. The world if full of quacks and rumormongers who would have one believe otherwise, whether from ignorance, insanity, or greed.

I think that in the human psyche there are two tendencies at odds here. One tendency is to use cold, impartial reason to determine truth. The other is to cling to beliefs which are comforting and familiar, and fight off anything which would sway us. For example, it's certainly a comforting thought that a supreme being is watching over the affairs of humans and that we will transcend our human bodies after death to an eternal (and hopefully peaceful) afterlife. As the saying goes, hope springs eternal. We cling to our hopes of the best of all possible worlds.

This is *not* an attack on the truth of certain religious views. I'm just throwing out my idea of where religious beliefs stem from, and the question of whether any deity exists is separate -- and futile to pursue if you seek proof (the notion of "proof" is touchy enough as it is). These beliefs, as opposed to the other beliefs mentioned above, are not in the realm of science, and are thus are not directly at odds with our reason. However, the beliefs which *are* testable are definitely at odds with reason.

Now, which of the other beliefs are the most plausible? I'd say the existence of ghosts. Maybe they're reluctant or unable to show themselves in circumstances where they could be recorded or otherwise definitively measured. Maybe they're incredibly adept at not giving themselves away. Their are still incredible leaps of faith to make if you believe in ghosts. For one thing, you have to believe in souls -- that something of an individual, besides the body, survives death. Okay, so that's not too big for some. You'd need to believe further that the soul is not only a tie between the body and the "spirit world", but that it has a way of either getting back to the physical world after death, or remaining partway between somehow.

You'd have to believe that not ONE ghost (out of, I'd estimate, millions of cases) has been willing or capricious (or foolish) enough to give sufficient evidence of its presence that more than a few people would take notice. Also, since the Earth is spinning about on its axis, going round and round the Sun and the galactic center, ghosts must have some physical way of attaching themselves to matter so that we see them as being relatively still from our point of view. One could probably draw many other physical difficulties.

For other beliefs, such as telekinesis, it's a much more clear case. There's no reason to believe that such powers would remain hidden when put to the test in an intensely scrutinized setting. The non-existence of most paranormal abilities like this has been proven. Sure, they're always *possible*, but we may as well disbelieve in gravity.

Over the last few days, I've been reading archived articles and message forum posts at the JREF (James Randi Educational Foundation) website. It's a great resource for people who need ammunition to argue against paranormal beliefs. They also pose interesting puzzles from time to time. See the link below. Also check out:

www.skepdic.com

for more cool stuff.


> winter"I believe"mute

--grem"I don't believe, but as a skeptic, am always open-minded to every possibility"linn