Why hasn't technology "proved" the paranormal exists?

[kirst@sypr 10]

And i'm not a sceptic, Im a realist - I need to see absolute proof.

[Gimble 10]

And you know this because:?

 

If you gathered 1000 of the world's top scientists in a room they still wouldn't be able to explain everything that occurs on the Earth, so what makes you so knowledgable about this subject?

No, they wouldn't. I believe that the potential for learning about our universe is just about infinite.

 

But those 1000 scientists wouldn't be able to provide a shred of evidence to support the existence of the paranormal either, or pixies, or tooth fairies. Some people think pixies and tooth fairies exist though.

[Gimble 10]

The fact that people need something more in their lives, and some experiences do exist in some people's mind, is so far, for me...the greatest evidence we have.

Dreams exist in people's minds. And hallucinations. And all sorts of misguided, deluded or mentally unstable concepts, which dysfunctional or confused minds produce. Hardly evidence.

 

Plenty of people think Elvis is still alive. Some think they’ve been abducted by aliens and anally probed.

 

They’re all wrong, and they’re all pitiful.

[metaphoria 10]

Dreams exist in people's minds. And hallucinations. And all sorts of misguided, deluded or mentally unstable concepts, which dysfunctional or confused minds produce. Hardly evidence.

 

Plenty of people think Elvis is still alive. Some think they’ve been abducted by aliens and anally probed.

 

They’re all wrong, and they’re all pitiful.

 

Okay, you've made your point, and I agree with everything you say. However, we weren't dicussing alien probing, or Elvis.

[metaphoria 10]

I believe that the potential for learning about our universe is just about infinite.

 

 

 

But those 1000 scientists wouldn't be able to provide a shred of evidence to support the existence of the paranormal...

 

So why rubbish people trying to understand?

 

Yes...even though scientists cannot provide evidence of the paranormal, people still want to believe, and are still searching.

[Birth-Peace 10]

Mod Note - This was a very interesting debate that turned quite quickly into insults - after a pruning lets try again at the interesting debate instead of the childish aggression

[metaphoria 10]

Thanks Lapis Lazuli, my next point was going to be:

 

Video and cameras etc have limitatations, but as all paranormal things are not yet known, they have no known limitations.

 

Therefore, have we been trying to use finite tools in an attemt to understand the infinite?

[JoeP 11]

Thanks Lapis Lazuli, my next point was going to be:

 

Video and cameras etc have limitatations, but as all paranormal things are not yet known, they have no known limitations.

 

Therefore, have we been trying to use finite tools in an attemt to understand the infinite?

 

It's a good point.

 

For example - radio signals were present on this planet from the creation of teh solar system. Back then the Earth was bathed in the faint signals form the sun, the galaxy, etc. Then when the planet developed an atmosphere, lightning generated more signals.

 

But it wasn't until the early 20th Century that equipment was developed that was able to receive the signals that had always been present. Interestingly enough, very early on in radio research - the days of Marconi - several scientists theorised that teh sun might give off radio waves and one - Sir Oliver Lodge - tried to receive them. All he managed to get was interference from the Liverpool Tram System (It think it was Liverpool) and radio waves from teh Sun weren't confirmed until the 1940s.

 

The equipoment was just not good enough, and the nature of the signals involved wasn't undesrtood well enough until then for reception of the signals to be carried out AND for the signals thus received to be identified as being from the sun.

 

For technology to prove anything, you need to be aware of what you're measuring, and only then can you develop a technology that will do the job.

[getto_sniper 10]

generally when people see things that's not real its called a psychotic episode

[JoeP 11]

generally when people see things that's not real its called a psychotic episode

 

Very true - almost a cliche.

 

But the jist of this thread is 'Why isn't technology delivering an answer?'. Labelling people as mentally ill isn't exactly adding much to the debate - if you don't want to contribute to the original question, then why not start up a separate thread entitled 'Does teh paranormal exist?'

 

What's your view on quantumn physics? There was a dearth of experimental evidence, and the Nazis went so far as to describe the whole subject as 'Degenerate' or 'Jewish' science and actually forbade it's teaching. Which was a bummer when people left Germany and fled to the US or Britain and built the Atom Bomb for the Allies rather than the axis.

 

The lack of proof of quantumn theory was partially made up for at Hiroshima.

[metaphoria 10]

generally when people see things that's not real its called a psychotic episode

 

Yes, I agree, generally it is. What's your point?

[metaphoria 10]

 

For technology to prove anything, you need to be aware of what you're measuring, and only then can you develop a technology that will do the job.

 

So how can we become aware of what we are measuring?