One of the more famous literary quotes comes from George Orwell’s novel, Animal Farm. It goes something like this: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”.
I suggest, that in terms of all things lumped together as ‘paranormal’ or the equivalent term ‘pseudoscience’, “All things paranormal are equal, but some paranormal things are more equal than others”.
Continued from yesterday’s blog…
Firstly, there are those paranormal bits and pieces that are first and foremost able to be put to some degree of experimental or research scrutiny. For example, from the above lists…
+ Astrology, the ‘Mars Effect’, and numerology.
+ ESP (extrasensory perception) or telepathy; clairvoyance.
+ Reincarnation (remembering past lives).
+ Communication with the ‘spirit world’.
+ Talking to your plants.
+ Prayer & prayers answered; the power of prayer*.
+ Magic.
+ Alternative medicines and medical therapies.
+ Psychic surgery.
+ Telekinesis
+ Teleportation.
+ Ley lines and mystical energy grids associated with megaliths, monuments, etc.
+ Religious and/or medical miracles: weeping statues, stigmata, Biblical codes, prophecy, and precognition.
+ Mythological subjects like Atlantis, Noah’s Flood, etc.
Clearly all but two of these items has failed over time, again and again, to withstand scientific scrutiny, with IMHO the dual exceptions of some, and I stress some, alternative medicines and medical therapies; and mythological examples that have spawned ultimately credible evidence, like the discovery of Troy or natural events that could account for the Atlantis legend, even Noah’s flood.
Then there are those paranormal bits and pieces that are unpredictable in time and space but the end product(s) hang around waiting the scientist to poke and prod them!
+ Mysterious falls of frogs or fish or ice or other unusual objects from out of a clear blue sky.
+ Crop circles having a non-human origin.
+ Ancient astronauts’ artefacts/relics and/or mythology.
Of this lot, there’s no question that there have been mysterious falls of frogs or fish or ice or other unusual objects from out of a clear blue sky. That’s just been so well documented that no correspondence to the contrary can be entered into. It’s not too difficult to come up with reasonable (albeit not proven) explanations in nearly all cases.
I’d maintain that the jury is still out over issues and events surrounding crop circles and ancient astronauts’ artefacts/relics and/or mythology, but of the two, ancient astronauts have the same bona fide theoretical underpinning as do UFOs as extraterrestrial vehicles.
Then there are those paranormal bits and pieces that are unpredictable in time and space but don’t hang around waiting the scientist to poke and prod them!
+ Sightings of elves, fairies, the ‘wee folk’, leprechauns, angels, witches, goblins, demons, nymphs, bogeymen, etc.
+ Ghosts, spirits, poltergeist, phantoms, etc. **
+ Haunted houses; ghost ships; etc. **
+ Ball lightning; transient lunar phenomena (TLP).
+ The Bermuda Triangle and related regions where strange things happen to ships, airplanes and associated crew; various maritime and aviation mysteries that defy rational explanation.
+ Cryptozoology – lake and sea serpents; unknown ape-like creatures (Yeti, Bigfoot, etc.).
+ UFOs as extraterrestrial vehicles.
+ Abductions by alien beings.
Here I have to divide the categories into those which have some sort of reasonable theoretical scientific underpinning and those that don’t.
Those that don’t include elves, fairies, the ‘wee folk’, leprechauns, angels, witches, goblins, demons, nymphs, bogeymen, ghosts, spirits, poltergeist, phantoms, and the existence of haunted houses; ghost ships; etc. There’s not even any remotely viable scientific worldview that can accommodate these entities. Of course the Universe may be far stranger than we can imagine, but for the here and now…
However, science does have a worldview that can logically account for such things as ball lightning; transient lunar phenomena (TLP), lake and sea serpents; unknown ape-like creatures (Yeti, Bigfoot, etc.), and UFOs as extraterrestrial vehicles (as well as the related subject of ancient astronauts).
On the other hand, the Bermuda Triangle and related regions where strange things happen to ships, airplanes and associated crew; those various maritime and aviation mysteries that seemingly defy rational explanation – well, rational explanations are to hand, albeit sometimes a bit farfetched.
To be continued…
*Prayer as a paranormal phenomena gone poof, reminds me of an interesting observation someone else once made that every Christmas and Easter, the pope of the day publicly prays for world peace. But the next time Christmas and Easter roles around, nothing has happened – zero, zip, zilch, no progress towards peace on Earth. Surely God has the power to grant this prayer, and if the pope of the day can’t get results, who can? You’d think popes collectively would get tired of all this rejection by God and the resulting exercise in futility year after year; decade after decade. Prayers and prayers answered; the power of prayer? I think not.
** Ghosts, spirits, poltergeist, phantoms, haunted houses; ghost ships; etc. as taken to have some connection with an afterlife have no credibility, IMHO. However, other explanations are plausible. One such is that ghosts, etc. are manifestations of a simulated universe of which we’re a part.
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