14 replies to this topic

[plindboe]

I think this is a very fine video addressing some attitudes that one frequently encounters as a skeptic. I hope people will watch it with an open mind and consider the points made. Enjoy.

[Caniswalensis]

plindboe, on May 17 2009, 10:18 PM, said:

I think this is a very fine video addressing some attitudes that one frequently encounters as a skeptic. I hope people will watch it with an open mind and consider the points made. Enjoy.

This is nicely done, very watchable and easy to understand. It makes some very good points.

I may be biased, as I am skeptical in outlook.

Thanks for posting the link, I am going to steal your idea and post a link to this video at another paranormal forum I frequent. ...sincerest for of flattery, yadda yadda yadda. ;-)

Canis

[plindboe]

Glad you liked it.

It's a collection of attitudes I've encountered frequently in debates about the paranormal, here and elsewhere, and I think there's alot to learn about critical thinking in this relatively short video.

I'm curious what replies you will get on that other board. Feel free to share the link, here or in PM.

Peter

[dennisoc]

I almost never click on links in forums...but I'm glad I did see this one. It was so clearly stated. Extremely well done.

It's so hard to "know" what "knowing" is.

My wife is a renowned medium. I am well educated and consider myself a very rational person. I really only know what I have seen and heard her do for years now. I was a zealot at first. Guilty of telling friends and even family that they were being "closed minded" just like the guys in that video. I certainly had a skewed view of what "open mindedness" was and is. With help from videos such as that, I think that there is hope for me to learn to deal with fanatics both religious and scientific but more importantly to try to communicate less emotionally charged when I communicate with folks who are skeptical and yet truely "open minded".

I had no idea how Georgia was doing these amazing things but I could not ignore the fact that she told every person, that she did "readings" for, things that she could not possibly know.

I'm arriving at the point where I don't try to "convince" anyone of the validity of her ability. I just try to relate what I personally have seen and heard....and I have seen some very strange stuff.

...anyway....thanks for the link.

Wage Peace
den

[Pfled]

Plindboe,

Thank you very much for the link to that video. It was very informative and thought-provoking.

It can be applied to everything, not just the paranormal.

-Pfled

[OMPRDave]

A great video - I downloaded a copy to use in future presentations...2 thumbs up!

[Caniswalensis]

plindboe, on May 21 2009, 03:27 PM, said:

Glad you liked it.

It's a collection of attitudes I've encountered frequently in debates about the paranormal, here and elsewhere, and I think there's alot to learn about critical thinking in this relatively short video.

I'm curious what replies you will get on that other board. Feel free to share the link, here or in PM.

Peter

PM sent :-)

[MoonChild]

Nice video, very well explained. As PFled mentioned, it applicable to all sides of the story!

[Redhead]

This was a great video - very articulate and made with a great deal of thought. I just wish that those people who need to watch it and really listen to the message presented would do so. Unfortunetly those are exactly the folks who won't bother!

[MoonChild]

You are so right Redhead, it actually got me thinking. What surprises me is that, the information in that video can be related to almost anything in our daily life. Perhaps this is what they call the out of the box thinking?

thanks again Peter.

Edited by MoonChild, 03 June 2009 - 10:16 AM.

[Redhead]

Yes, Moon, it can be applied to almost any situation. There are people out there who simply will not listen to anyone else's opinion unless it goes along with their way of thinking. These are the people who, when you challenge what they have to say, will go ballistic on you, and claim that you are the one who is rude, etc. I pity these people. Because of their narrow-mindedness and antagonistic behaviors, they are people who don't have much in their lives. Who wants to hang around someone who always has to have everything their way and everyone agreeing with them. I am for healthy discussion and even a few arguements. I've learned alot from discussions and am not afraid of people asking me for my proof or evidence. And I don't get angry when someone points out that I am mistaken. A member here looked at some photos for me a year ago and it was as I suspected - dust. I had hoped he'd say that it could be paranormal, but he didn't. Did I get mad and tell him he didn't know what he was talking about? No - and we're still friends because he knows he can be honest with me.

[Oniix]

*Applauds Peter*

[stevenedel]

Brilliant, a great find!

[Spookydog]

Love the vid

Yeah, for those believers out there, we just gotta be open-minded and relate what we believe we think, give evidence, and acknowledge other possible explanations. You really can't take yourself seriously as a ghost hunter/psychic/whatever if, when experiencing a possible paranormal experience, you only consider the paranormal explanation and never try to debunk other possibilities. For example, every day there seems to always be a new thread where a newcomer says 'My lamp shade shook. Do I have a ghost in my house?". There are a million and one reasons why the lamp shade might've shaken, and the person picks paranormal activity as their number one explanation?! Ugh.

Another thing that annoys me is that some people jump to conclusions so easily here. I'll try not to name names, mostly because I don't remember who started or participated in the thread, but I was reading a thread recently where someone had heard "my heavenly father" spoken when no one was around. Immediately, they assumed it was a ghost. (I can't remember what evidence they backed it up with.) Some random person told them that only Mormons refer to God as the "heavenly father". So, the thread-starter or a thread-commentor assumed that the house must be haunted by a dead Mormon who felt betrayed by their community (or something like that). Maybe my example isn't perfectly accurate, but it's pretty darn close. The point is that "my heavenly father" got turned into "dead Mormon who was betrayed by community" with no real evidence or knowledge added in the process.

People really need to take a more skeptical view when evaluating possible paranormal occurances. Even I, an alleged sensitive, strongly support skepticism.

I think open-mindedness should be defined as something like "having the mental/emotional capacity to accept a new, possibly controversial idea if supplied with a reasonable amount of evidence". Regarding paranormal things, I have to see them before I believe them. For example (and I'm sorry I'm about to group this in the same paranormal category as spirits), I don't necessarily believe in spacefaring extraterrestrials, but only because I've never personally encountered them. Statistically, I think it's probable that they do exist somewhere, and I don't scoff at people who claim to have seen them. If I had to bet, I'd say they exist, but I want to see some hard, mind-shattering evidence before I say that I truly know they exist. You shouldn't believe in amazing things like UFO's or spirits or Bigfoot simply from what you see on MonsterQuest.

[PHANTOM MONK]

Great video. Very informative and well worth giving some thought to..I just can't stand people who aren't open-minded.Does that statement mean I can't stand myself?