The Thailand expat forum for Travel, Lifestyle and Fun.

Bluecat

The belief in ghosts is different than the belief in whether the earth is round or whether the sun rotates around earth.
It is a belief about things you can't see but want to believe, not things you can't understand.
Mainly a fear about dying and what comes after.
Believing in ghosts is a way of fearing less by fearing more...

__________________
Discussion is an exchange of knowledge, argument is an exchange of ignorance

Texpat

Show me a ghost and I will believe.

Quite simple, really.

Bluecat

Not so simple actually.
Thai ghosts do not like farangs.
They show themselves only to Thai people.
Sorry...

Rdrokit

I fit right in in Thailand as I also believe in ghosts.

Bluecat

Hmmm, why?

Rdrokit

because I believe in the after life and some souls are not ready to leave their earthly bounds.

Marmite the Dog

Same same...

Jet Gorgon

Give me your address.

I loved Thailand because there was a "Pee" for everything. That's one reason why they never sleep alone in a place. The people I mean.

Ivor Biggun

If you do then take up Jams Randy's offer of $1,000,000 and prove there's such a thing. Get a life. Excuse the pun.

Panda

It seems only the people who believe in ghosts actually see them or have a problem with them.

There is enough shit in life to be scared of without inventing supernatural stuff.

Any ghosts want to haunt me, I have some dead friends who will sort them out real quick!

Jet Gorgon

That's your and their prob, Ivor. Money means nothing in that dimension. Basically, we don't want or have to prove anything, because we pity the inability of folks like you to see beyond the single dimension you live in. You'll get it when you die and cross the river. Maybe.

Panda

I know money means nothing in the new dimension, but any chance of getting one of your spooks to divulge the winning lotto numbers for tonight.
I promise to become a believer if I win.

Norton

Really? Last night the ghost of Janis Joplin came by the house and was still singing that Mercedes Benz ditty. Bitch drank all my Southern Comfort as well.

Panda

Got drunk with her many times myself.

I think if Princess Dianna ever fronted up I would just kick her in the cnut and tell her to fuck off back to ghost-land. Nice tits, but no fun at a piss up and cant sing for shit. Give me JJ anyday.

zipcode

The tricky part about Randi's million dollar challenge is that it is performing on command some supernatural ability that can be verified by instrumentation.

If for sake of discussion we assume that ghosts exist and that a particular person does have the actual ability to see them, the Randi challenge would not be fulfilled, because:
1. The claimant would only be able to see a ghost if there was a ghost currently 'haunting' the location; and,
2. Even if the claimant saw the ghost, there would be no way for instrumentation to verify it. At best, a real-time CAT scan would show that the claimant's brain function has become different, but this is not considered proof of the ability nor of the existance of ghosts.

The Randi challenge is clever (as all science rightly should be) in that an ability is being tested, not an event. The challenge would not, for example, apply to a haunting, even if there was 'poltergeist-type' activity. The challenge would apply if a claimant claimed the ability of being able to command the ghost as to what object to move.

Reproducability and verifiability are two cornerstones of the scientific method, neither of which can be applied to ghosts or ghost-sightings: A ghost is (probably) not interested in performing 'on command', and it is impossible to verify whether someone saw a ghost.

Ghost-related phenomenom are almost exclusively 'tied' to a location, or occasionally tied to an object or person. As such, it is almost impossible to meet the part of the challenge that requires that the claimed ability be performed on demand at a 'random' location.

The only way I can see for ghost-related phenom to 'win' the Randi challenge would be:
1. A person has the 'genuine' ability to interact with a ghost; and
2. The person is able to command the ghost; and
3. The ghost is willing and able to fulfill the command; and
4. The ghost is 'haunting' an object or person that can be moved to a different location.

If such a team of human+ghost existed, they would either be much more wealthy than the $1Mill on offer OR would not be interested in the $1Mill and the publicity.

Panda

Bugger.
I guess that means the ghosts are not playing and we dont get to see them on TV?

Fabian

I really hope for him he lives in more than one dimension.

Jet Gorgon

^ Simplified to drive home the point, Fab. I know, most folks do 3 or 2 5/8.
Lemmeesee, lotto number. 686 Can't give you the location tho. Sorry.

Panda

Actually, its a bit scary to think that our dead friends might be watching us in our most private moments. What are they going to think of us when we cross over to the after-life? I mean what are you going to say to Grandma when you know she has been watching you wank off to porno?

And the worst part is that we didn't get to spy on those buggers who died before us, so we got no shit to throw back at them. Its just not fair. I hope God sorts this problem out soon.

stroller