Are Ghosts Real? (Unexplained: What's the Evidence?)

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In the Indian subcontinent , a 'bhoot' or 'bhut' is a supernatural figure - often the ghost of a dead person - that appears in popular culture. In North India , it's believed that bhoota are restless due to factors that preclude them from moving on. Hindu mythology includes figures like Baital, a malevolent spirit who takes demonic possession of corpses from cemeteries, and Pishacha, a flesh-eating demon. In the wake of popular ghost. Hunting TV shows, police across the country have seen a surge in people being arrested, injured. And even killed while looking for ghosts.In 2010, a man died while ghost. Hunting with a group of friends hoping to see the ghost of a train that crashed years earlier. The ghost train did not appear. but a real train came around a bend and killed one man. The evidence tort ghosts is no better today than it was a year ago, a decade ago, or a century ago.

Given these strange turns of the mind, might some people be naturally inclined to see hidden patterns and motives, and could this explain why they are more superstitious than others? It is a question that Tapani Riekki at the University of Helsinki in Finland has tried to answer for the last few years. He says that believers often welcome his research, since they genuinely can’t understand why others don’t share their worldview. “They say that ’I don’t see why other people don’t feel what I feel, or believe what I believe’,” he says. During the late 19th century, lots of psychic mediums in America claimed they were able to communicate with the dead. However, these were exposed as frauds by sceptics and investigators such as Harry Houdini - a Hungarian-born American illusionist and stunt performer renowned for his escape acts.But ultimately, ghost hunting is not about the evidence at all (if it was, the search would have been abandoned long ago). Instead, it's about having fun with friends and family members, telling stories, and the enjoyment of pretending to search the edge of the unknown. After all, everyone loves a good ghost story. Additional resources In the end (and despite mountains of ambiguous photos, sounds, and videos) the evidence for ghosts is no better today than it was a century ago. There are two possible reasons for the failure of ghost hunters to find good evidence. The first is that ghosts don't exist, and that reports of ghosts can be explained by psychology, misperceptions, mistakes and hoaxes. The second option is that ghosts do exist, but that ghost hunters do not possess the scientific tools or mindset to uncover any meaningful evidence.

I am an Investigative Psychologist with a particular expertise in Parapsychology – I’m also an avid “ghostbuster” who investigates claims of the paranormal from a sceptical perspective. I’m open minded but always questioning and, if anything, am what Danny likes to call me, a “Hardcore Sceptic!” I bring to the series the alternative natural and scientific explanations for paranormal phenomena. However, I find the detective work involved in “solving” paranormal cases as equally fascinating as the thought that something supernatural is at play. Intrigued by these persistent beliefs, psychologists have started to look at why some of us can’t shake off old superstitions and folk-lore. Their findings may suggest some hidden virtues to believing in the paranormal. At the very least, it should cause you to question whether you hold more insidious beliefs about the world. In the folklore of the Igbo people , people are both physical and spiritual entities; it is their spiritual element that is abiding. Akan people imagine the human personality in five constituent parts: the body, the soul, the spirit, the character from the father, and the character from the mother. European folklore Castle of Good Hope, Cape Town, South Africa - South Africa's oldest building had its first supposed ghost sighting in 1915 when a spectre of a tall gentleman was spotted jumping off the castle walls! There's even a bell tower that's thought to ring of its own accord.

Instead, there are lots of ambiguous recordings sabotaged by bad lighting and faulty equipment. But popular television shows on ghost hunting convince many viewers that blurry images and emotional reactions are proof enough. Translucent balls of light that are often depicted hovering off the ground, orbs are thought to be the soul of a human or animal that has died. Why do so many people still think ghosts are real in the 21st century? The science and logic of ghosts

Coach tells Ghost that he wants to show him, “You can’t run away from who you are, but what you can do is run toward who you want to be.” How does Castle try to run from who he is? What kind of person does he want to be? How has finding his team helped him start to become that person? Try applying Coach’s advice to your own life: What kind of person do you want to be? What could help you become that person? I've always been interested in the macabre and inherent strangeness of existence since I was a child (I was only happy when it was Halloween). Every time something seemed impossible I would be driven to learn how it could in-fact be possible. Where people saw fantastical ghost stories, I saw an aspect of quantum physics that we hadn't gotten to yet. Mostly I grew up watching everyone around me deal with paranormal events in a very matter-of-fact way, and that has no doubt influenced my desire to explore the science of the unknown. I always say it is not a case of 'are ghosts real?' but rather 'what are ghosts?'. Perhaps the most familiar idea of a ghost is a deceased person, particularly a friend or family member, or even a historical figure. The ghosts may be friendly or hostile, and they can appear in a variety of ways. The interactive personality may appear in a visible human-like form, or otherwise simply make noises, touch people or omit odours, so people know they're present. The ectoplasm or ecto-mist

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And about 18% of people say they have either seen a ghost or been in one's presence, according to a 2015 Pew Research study. Why do so many claim to have such brushes with the afterlife? European folklore features the recurring figure of the revenant - one who has returned from the dead to hurt the living. Scandinavian and Finnish stories feature ghosts in physical forms (indeed, they are often mistaken for living people). It is their behaviour, rather than their appearance, that often gives them away. In English folklore, it's common for particular locations to be haunted. Alexandra Moon has a problem: her shadow has escaped! Set on the Valley View Farm, she must uncover the malevolent plot of the evil Ringmaster at the Halloween fair and solve the mystery of the missing shadows before it's too late. ideas about ghosts. For example, are ghosts material or not? Either they can move through solid objects oviduct disturbing them, or they can slam doors shut and throw Objects across the room.Logically and physically, it’s one or the other. If ghosts are human souls, why do they appear clothed and With (presumably soulless) inanimate Objects like hats, manes, and dresses. not to mention the many reports of ghost trains, cars and carriages? If ghosts are the spirits of those whose deaths were unbranded, why are there unsolved murders, since ghosts are said to communicate with psychic mediums, and should be able to identify their killers for the police.And so on; just about any claim about ghosts raises logical reasons to doubt it, Ghost hunters use many creative (and dubious) methods to detect the spirits’ presences, often including psychics. Arthur Conan Doyle claimed to speak to ghosts through mediums, and describes an experience where a mysterious presence leaned over him which sounds similar to sleep paralysis.

Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai, India - W. A. Chambers, one of the hotel's architects, jumped from a fifth floor balcony. It's believed that his ghost still wanders the halls of the hotel.

Along with others who practice scientific skepticism, I keep an open mind while maintaining that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Tell me you had a burger for lunch, and I’ll take your word for it. Tell me you shared your fries with Abraham Lincoln’s ghost, and I’ll want more evidence.