Ghost
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Revision as of 06:41, 4 February 2011
| Can such things be? |
| The Twilight Zone |
Ghosts are generally defined as "The spirit of a dead person, especially one believed to appear in bodily likeness to living persons or to haunt former habitats."[1] There's two problems with this definition:
- Besides ghostly people, there are also ghostly ships (e.g. Flying Dutchman), ghostly planes, a ghostly double decker[2] and enough ghostly pets to open an SPCGA. (Yes, that's the Society for the Prevention of Cruely to Ghostly Animals)
- Ghosts are imaginary.
You die, you're gone. But, your passing may haunt those you leave behind and cause them imaginary experiences of your coming back to... who knows what?
Ghost stories, on the other hand, are a wonderful source of entertainment — but if you decide to make one, be truthful and don't claim it's "based on a true story."
Contents |
Types of hauntings
Those that know claim that there are two main kinds of ghostly hauntings, namely residual and intelligent.[3] A residual spook is unaware that it's dead apparently, and will pass through a room, or wash ghostly dishes, without interacting with any live people in the vicinity. An intelligent ghost is the one that makes it into the movies. Because they're the ones that know they are dead and are pissed off. This results in poltergeist activity, strange houses in Amityville and Freddie Kruger.
Scientific explanation
There is nothing to explain, since there are no consistently observable phenomena to investigate. Evidence assembled for the existence of ghosts is largely ad hoc and difficult (or impossible) to duplicate or investigate further.
That ghosts can allegedly dodge physical laws (like being semi-transparent or able to pass through walls) only makes matters worse for ghost lovers:
“”Rational person: How can ghosts pass through solid objects?
Ghost person: Because they are not bound by physical laws. Rational person: In that case, your ghost, not being bound by the laws of gravity, will be left bobbing in space as the planet hurtles ever onward through the cosmos. Ghost person: Oh no, they are bound to the laws of gravity. Rational person: In that case, being able to pass through solid objects, all new ghosts will plummet to the centre of the planet with no hope of escape. Ghost person: Uh... |
Evolution's fault
However, it might be evolution's fault.[4] Back when we lived in caves, it was the most alert and suspicious amongst us that avoided becoming a sabre-tooth tiger's supper. From this has evolved humanity's tendency to see and hear things that are simply not there.
The human brain sees and hears things that are not there, because they have evolved to be over-cautious. With this in mind, stories of ghostly apparitions, foot-steps in the middle of the night, objects that change position, and whispering voices in a deserted churchyard suddenly have a rational, psychological explanation. Especially when conditioned by a mix of scary, paranormal movies and TV series, as well as religious teachings about the existence of spirits and voilà - you have a species naturally conditioned to see ghosts.
Another probable explanation could be the effects of sleep paralysis, especially as many sufferers experience the sensation of being held down by something.
Belief in ghosts probably comes from the refusal to accept the finality of one's own mortality and that there is no afterlife, as well as the inability to cope with the loss of a loved one. Ghosts being the "eternal spirit" of someone who has passed from the earthly realm and not finally lodged in heaven (nor hell).
Paranormal explanation
Woo!
See also
External links
- Buy your very own ghost hunting gear here!
- Signs of ghosts. Whoooooo. Don't visit it after midnight
- See Borley Rectory "the most haunted house in England".
