Are you afraid of the paranormal?

[Mulder]

I picked this from a believers forum, where they are convinced that skeptics are 'afraid' the paranormal is real.

So here is a thought experiment. Suppose a previously uncontacted Amazonian tribe* was tested and found to have real, reproducible telepathy with consistent very high hit rates in the tightest possible conditions.

What would your reaction be? Would it worry you that psychics could be right after all?




*This nonsense is introduced to explain why telepathy has never been discovered before - the 'tribe' share a very rare gene!

[Matt]

I'd be fascinated.

[Croydon Bob]

It's a good question.

I had this thrown at me repeatedly on a Channel 5 programme many years ago about ghosts.
I kept saying: "No, I'd love there to be real ghosts, it would be fascinating!" And suchlike stuff.
The presenter would keep just saying: "You're scared of ghosts!"

In the end they cut me out of the programme. Even though you can see me sitting on the end as they work through the 9 believers, it just stopped as they got to me. When they looked at the tape the presenter probably realised he had made too much of an arse of himself.

So, my answer to your question is a very loud "NO". I'm not afraid.

I would be delighted if there seemed to be evidence that a tribe of telepaths existed. Just as I was delighted to find out about the Dogon people and apparent "proof" that they had been in contact with aliens from Sirius. Then very disappointed to find out that it was all nonsense.

I am similarly excited about the so-called hobbits found in Indonesia. Not worried about how they upset the accepted evolutionary theories regarding the decent of man but looking forward to finding out how they fit in.

With the proviso that a claim of a psychic Amazon tribe would probably turn out to be bogus, like the Dogon tribe - Sirius connection; and thus I'll wait until there is some really solid proof before believing extraordinary claims in future; then I certainly wouldn't be afraid of anything paranormal.

Why would skeptics be afraid? For me skepticism it's more about disappointment that none of it is true than fear that it might be.

Perhaps the believers are scared that they're not psychic? That they're not special? That they don't have special secret knowledge that the rest of us are ignorant of? They might be assuming we're as paranoid as they are?

[Mulder]

Why would skeptics be afraid? For me skepticism it's more about disappointment that none of it is true than fear that it might be.

It is supposed to be people's motivation for being skeptical, from the point of view of a believer. It's not easy to understand, I know, but think of it as an alternate universe where different rules apply.

[Matt]

What some people don't seem to recognise is that really wanting something to be true and then being dissapointed time after time can lead to superficially the same sort of stance as they ascribe to being really afraid that something might be true.

[Trinoc]

If anyone discovered a verifiable example of what had previously been regarded as paranormal then it would not be paranormal any more, but normal. It is the believers who need to be afraid of their ideas being verified, for if this were to happen they would have to find new unverified things to believe in.

[DrS]

I'd be fascinated, and if anything would hope it turned out to be true rather than be afraid of the possibility. It could open up all sorts of enquiries into what would be a completely new means of communication, probably overturning a considerable number of current hypotheses.

What on earth would there be to be afraid of?

[seren]

Are you kidding? I would LOVE for it to be true.

However, I must say that I would then approve of nasty scientists weighing into and testing out the tribe's genes and generally doing nasty sciencey things to find out exactly how the telepathy works and then hopefully replicate it.
Somehow I think believers would be against that kind of thing....scared of it, in fact!

[Floppit]

I ain't afraid of no ghosts!

[chaggle]

It is supposed to be people's motivation for being skeptical, from the point of view of a believer. It's not easy to understand, I know, but think of it as an alternate universe where different rules apply.

This whole thread highlights what someone (I think it was DrS) posted a couple of days back; that there is a huge gulf between us what can think and them what can't (paraphrased, apologies)

[DrS]

Guilty as charged

Just think of the possibilities though, if something like this were to be found, and then demonstrated as true. Anything from reduced phone bills to proof of life after death! It would be thrilling.

What I don't understand is why believers think, with what is surely considerable evidence to the contrary, that sceptics would be afraid of finding something like this has substance!

[chaggle]

I picked this from a believers forum, where they are convinced that skeptics are 'afraid' the paranormal is real.

I'm having difficulty understanding this. Can you point me at the forum? I'd like to read some more about it.

[Trinoc]

I'm having difficulty understanding this. Can you point me at the forum? I'd like to read some more about it.

Surely claiming someone is afraid of something is just a cheap put-down directed at someone who holds a contrary view to your own, where there is no rational way to convert them to your own view ... like "Are you afraid to believe in God?", "Are you afraid to smoke?", "Are you afraid to get blind drunk?" or "Are you afraid to ride a motor bike at 100mph without a helmet?".

[Croydon Bob]

"Are you afraid to believe in God?", "Are you afraid to smoke?", "Are you afraid to get blind drunk?" or "Are you afraid to ride a motor bike at 100mph without a helmet?".

I sort of knew someone who wasn't afraid to do three of those four things in combination. He wasn't smoking when he died.

I agree with your point, but also, as I said earlier on this thread, I think that some believers are afraid that what they believe in isn't real. I've had conversations with religionists on the doorstep and other kinds of loonies in the bar where the idea that there might not be an afterlife, that their dreams are just random not predictive, frightens them. If they are clinging to an irrational faith because the alternative scares them then they might assume that we have similar motivation.

[Tony Williams]

I agree with you all - I would love the paranormal to be true.

In my younger days I was fascinated by it and read quite a lot of books on the subject. Only gradually, and reluctantly, did I come to the conclusion that it was all a load of Environment Ministers (or Education Secretaries, if you prefer).