Paranormal beliefs (poll)

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

I'm surprised at how many people answered yes on the spirits question. I don't believe any of them but some of them such as Bigfoot are certainly more plausible than others.

Some of us are going by personal experiences.

[Kingpoleon]

The only thing I'd add to this is that Dule seems to think it's possible to just choose to completely excise magical thinking from one's psyche if one is brought up right, which suggests what I would consider to be a very inflated view of one's own rational faculties. I would argue that the belief that one's own outlook on the world is perfectly rational is itself harmful even if it is correct, since it justifies chauvinistic attitudes towards people who disagree with one's views.

Simon Conway Morris warns of the dangers of fundamentalists. “Life itself is extremely simple. Everything which they can explain is also put in the most simplistic of terms. Happily from their viewpoint, everybody else is wrong. Everybody. And almost invariably, the people who are wrong are not only wrong, but they are stupid. And not infrequently, they’re not only wrong, they’re also evil. A rather curious identification of most of humanity. And the most intriguing thing about these charmless people is that all of them do not have in their bones a shred of humor.”

Now whether Dule is a fundamentalist materialist who pretends that it makes sense for matter to end the mind, I don’t know. But skepticism, when accompanied by constant claims of delusions when confronted with evidence one dislikes, is the basest form of intellectual pretentiousness.

[John Dule]

The only thing I'd add to this is that Dule seems to think it's possible to just choose to completely excise magical thinking from one's psyche if one is brought up right, which suggests what I would consider to be a very inflated view of one's own rational faculties. I would argue that the belief that one's own outlook on the world is perfectly rational is itself harmful even if it is correct, since it justifies chauvinistic attitudes towards people who disagree with one's views.

Simon Conway Morris warns of the dangers of fundamentalists. “Life itself is extremely simple. Everything which they can explain is also put in the most simplistic of terms. Happily from their viewpoint, everybody else is wrong. Everybody. And almost invariably, the people who are wrong are not only wrong, but they are stupid. And not infrequently, they’re not only wrong, they’re also evil. A rather curious identification of most of humanity. And the most intriguing thing about these charmless people is that all of them do not have in their bones a shred of humor.”

That's a great quote, and an elegant summary of something I've tried to articulate many times on this site.

[Kingpoleon]

That's a great quote, and an elegant summary of something I've tried to articulate many times on this site.

He is a rather brilliant paleontologist whose books I would highly recommend. The quote in question comes from an argument he has against a postmodern sociologist at about 6:30-40. It is a shame that he and his ideas about convergent evolution have not been covered as much as Dawkins and his “ideas” about gene-based evolution.

[Skill and Chance]

Lean yes on spirits/ghosts, hard no on everything else assuming "our ancient past" means recorded human history in the aliens question.

Really surprised by the majority belief in advanced ancient civilizations assuming it goes beyond these people farmed and built a temple.

[West_Midlander]

My answers:

Places can be haunted by spirits - Yes, but malicious "hauntings" are very rare
Advanced civilizations, such as Atlantis, once existed - Maybe
Aliens have visited Earth in our ancient past - I don't think so
Aliens have visited Earth in modern times - Maybe
Some people can move objects with their minds - Very possibly lol
Bigfoot is a real creature - Not sure tbh
Psychics can foresee the future - Possible but only among VERY few (i.e., "real" psychics)

[dead0man]

there is no good evidence for any of these.  If you think one is true, meh, whatever.  If you just know that several (or all) of these are true, then you hate science.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Paranormal is believing in the two theories about Afterlife, Rapture or reincarnation

But, the idea you live in Heaven like you live on Earth is not Biblical it was made up

Life doesn't work that way, you can get reincarnated though and live another life ovee

[Big Abraham]

There is a great deal of evidence all of the above propositions are false.

[HillGoose]

Agree on all except psychics.

[Skill and Chance]

There is a great deal of evidence all of the above propositions are false.

If "our ancient past" means all of geologic time, I think it's plausible that extraterrestial life has explored here at some point since the Earth formed.  The probability of them finding humans is infinitesimal, though, and the probability they would be interested in human affairs even less.

[beaver2.0]

The only one I said is Atlantis but I don't think there were dudes driving around in cars in 100,000 BC but I do think there are some civilizations or cultures that have been lost to time that were a bit more advanced than we associate with that period of the past.

[TDAS04]

I know goats are real.

[Samof94]

This is all nonsense, why would there be giant apes in Canada of all places?

[Horus]

Not sure about aliens now or then, but it's certainly not impossible.

If there are spirits they're just beings from other dimensions that we can see when doing shrooms or something but not "spirits" in the conventional sense of a ghost.

Bigfoot is silly, there's no evidence for Atlantis, and all psychics are crooks besides Ms. Cleo. Ever wondered why they went after her specifically? She had the gift.

[Klobmentum Mutilated Herself]

Bigfoot is the only one I voted for because the possibility of an undiscovered animal in North America is qualitatively different than the other, more paranormal suggestions.

[Dr. MB]

Paranormal is believing in the two theories about Afterlife, Rapture or reincarnation

But, the idea you live in Heaven like you live on Earth is not Biblical it was made up

Life doesn't work that way, you can get reincarnated though and live another life ovee

Do you believe in Bigfoot?