And, now for something completely different. I was posting a mesage on a forum I frequent and I came to the realization that it succinctly verablized my thoughts on the difficult subject of 'scientfic investigation' of the paranormal. So, even though it probably is completely inappropriate for my blog site, I am including it here, because it's the only thing I have written for days on end.
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There are a lot of different flavors of science. From hard to soft. The methodology tries to be the same, but the soft sciences rely heavily on statistics and don't leave us with the same sense of conviction we get from a knock in the head.
The hardest of sciences would be Newtonian physics, simply because every person experiences it, knows it intuitively, and almost everyone finds it relatively easy to understand intellectually.
We can measure it, observe it, and test it. And we can reproduce it on demand for every single person on the planet who wants to verify it for themselves.
God bless Newtonian physics.
Then, there is cosmology, superstring theory, and quantum mechanics. Modern day scientists would tell you these are as hard and real as an apple hitting Newton on the head. However, the reality of the situation is simply this. Only a very small fraction of the population can even comprehend or grasp the mathematics behind these theories. Few people on the planet can perform specific experiments, since they require devices that cost billions of dollars to perform.
It doesn't really make these theories any less real. It's just interesting to note how far removed modern science is from the everyday man.
Meanwhile, a substantial percentage of 'every day man' does, in fact, have paranormal experiences at a deeply personal level.
It touches many people's lives in profound ways. Many know, for a fact, that the supernatural is 'real' because they have experienced it directly in their own lives.
Meanwhile, we are unable to address this topic in a serious way with rationalists in our society. At what point does the rational rationalist not recognize the simple fact that the paranormal is something real, and of real importance to the average human being? Why is it that pretty much the only scientists studying these subjects have been unfortunate enough to have the paranormal impact their own lives directly?
For the really soft sciences, like archeology evolutionary theory, and geology, there is virtually no evidence that is 'recreatable' upon demand. Meanwhile, we still dicsuss these theories with grave seriousness.
Some paranormal phenomena are reproducible, even if not necessarily on demand. If we are to look at the evidence provided by these other soft sciences seriously, why not grant the same favor to the study of the paranormal?
If some paranormal phenomena are in fact 'real', then this would potentially be one of the most imporant breakthroughs for humanity to come to grips with.
As an atheist, I think it's a crying shame that paranormal phenomena and religion have been grouped together. There is no doubt that the existance of the paranormal has driven many to religion, it's just a shame they didn't have somewhere else to turn.
In nearly every case of 'religious' paranormal phenomena I note one single binding factor. The deep and intent psychological focus of the individuals surrounding the event. However, when religionists go looking for the 'cause' they immediately shout 'God', 'Jesus', the 'Virgin Mary', without ever pointing out that, hey, maybe if you get 100,000 people together all in one spot, all chanting and meditating, that maybe *THEY* are the causitive force at work?
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are a lot of different flavors of science. From hard to soft. The methodology tries to be the same, but the soft sciences rely heavily on statistics and don't leave us with the same sense of conviction we get from a knock in the head.
The hardest of sciences would be Newtonian physics, simply because every person experiences it, knows it intuitively, and almost everyone finds it relatively easy to understand intellectually.
We can measure it, observe it, and test it. And we can reproduce it on demand for every single person on the planet who wants to verify it for themselves.
God bless Newtonian physics.
Then, there is cosmology, superstring theory, and quantum mechanics. Modern day scientists would tell you these are as hard and real as an apple hitting Newton on the head. However, the reality of the situation is simply this. Only a very small fraction of the population can even comprehend or grasp the mathematics behind these theories. Few people on the planet can perform specific experiments, since they require devices that cost billions of dollars to perform.
It doesn't really make these theories any less real. It's just interesting to note how far removed modern science is from the everyday man.
Meanwhile, a substantial percentage of 'every day man' does, in fact, have paranormal experiences at a deeply personal level.
It touches many people's lives in profound ways. Many know, for a fact, that the supernatural is 'real' because they have experienced it directly in their own lives.
Meanwhile, we are unable to address this topic in a serious way with rationalists in our society. At what point does the rational rationalist not recognize the simple fact that the paranormal is something real, and of real importance to the average human being? Why is it that pretty much the only scientists studying these subjects have been unfortunate enough to have the paranormal impact their own lives directly?
For the really soft sciences, like archeology evolutionary theory, and geology, there is virtually no evidence that is 'recreatable' upon demand. Meanwhile, we still dicsuss these theories with grave seriousness.
Some paranormal phenomena are reproducible, even if not necessarily on demand. If we are to look at the evidence provided by these other soft sciences seriously, why not grant the same favor to the study of the paranormal?
If some paranormal phenomena are in fact 'real', then this would potentially be one of the most imporant breakthroughs for humanity to come to grips with.
As an atheist, I think it's a crying shame that paranormal phenomena and religion have been grouped together. There is no doubt that the existance of the paranormal has driven many to religion, it's just a shame they didn't have somewhere else to turn.
In nearly every case of 'religious' paranormal phenomena I note one single binding factor. The deep and intent psychological focus of the individuals surrounding the event. However, when religionists go looking for the 'cause' they immediately shout 'God', 'Jesus', the 'Virgin Mary', without ever pointing out that, hey, maybe if you get 100,000 people together all in one spot, all chanting and meditating, that maybe *THEY* are the causitive force at work?
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