Friday, March 12, 2010
Ghosts are the perfect manifestations of human fear. They simultaneously embody death, darkness and helplessness. But because ghosts are so fundamentally terrifying and culturally ubiquitous, television networks have found it very easy to capitalize on these emotions; ghost hunting shows have permeated our popular culture. Although the investigators claim to be hunting for ghosts, their true victim is any semblance of scientific skepticism.
How does one hunt for ghosts? On shows such as Ghost Hunters, they use EMF Meters, which are designed to measure electromagnetic waves, and thermographic cameras capable of detecting infrared radiation. They also use a huge number of cameras and other electronic devices to detect the ghosts. From the spots on the cameras to the spikes in measurements, the hunters claim to be detecting supernatural spirits.
The sheer number of ghost hunting tools alone should be a warning sign to reasonable people. With so many measurements being taken, it is incredibly likely that at least one will show some anomalous results. Electromagnetic radiation measurement is an especially easy way to find suspicious anomalies. With all of the wiring and electronics in these supposedly haunted houses, in addition to the ghost hunters huge amass of measurement electronics and camera equipment, it is incredibly predictable that fluxuations would regularly occur. The only way a ghost could be reliably detected with an EMF Meter is if you were to catch it listening to an iPod with a radio antennae strapped to its head.
But cameras are perhaps the worst tools in searching for ghosts. The premise that a ghost is invisible to the visible wavelengths of light yet detectable by flash-photography is absurd. Cameras are designed to mimic human sight, but their instrinsic machinery lends to the creation of visual artifacts in the final picture, such as floating orbs or glowing images, usually generated by the flash of the camera. This is the intellectual equivalent of claiming to cause a solar eclipse by holding up your fist over the sun.
It can be very entertaining to see a crew inspect a haunted house and jump with fright at the slightest sound. But they harm the foundation of science in a very direct way by creating a horrifying caricature of scientific investigation, something entirely run by gadgets and machines.
Blinking lights, scrolling numbers and auditory spikes are shown as “good science.” But these measuring devices are only the tools of science; real science is about observation, prediction, and testing, questioning what we see and arriving at the best conclusion, a trait curiously absent from these ghost hunting shows.
The number of ghost hunting shows is growing. Ghost Hunters has already developed three spin-off series, Ghost Hunters International, UFO Hunters and Ghost Hunters Academy. This represents an unfortunate trend in the misrepresentation of science and popularization of intellectual laziness. It promotes an uncritical view of the world and encourages audiences to believe first and ask questions later.
Worst of all, these shows falsely display the supernatural as mysterious and exciting, when the natural world is what is truly beautiful and mystifying.
— Folmsbee is a senior from Topeka in neurobiology.
Who you gonna call?
A reporter’s search for the paranormal turns up some interesting information and ...
Hunting for Hauntings
Folmsbee: Why can't we all get along?
Continued controversy in battle of religion vs. science isn't necessary.
Lawrence packs a paranormal punch
Despite not being included in most haunted list, Lawrence has a ghostly ...
Folmsbee: Alternative medicine research fails to deliver
Complementary healthcare treatments should compete for government money.
Author explores paranormal in “Ghosts of Kansas”
Several places in Lawrence, including the home of Sigma Nu fraternity, are ...
Folmsbee: MCAT forgets purpose, puts focus on ...
The medical school examination stresses rote memorization, not scientific literacy.
Folmsbee: A chiropractic reformation
Chiropractic must adjust ideology to be considered legitimate.
Folmsbee: Doctors just as responsible for safe ...
Doctors should know how a valid a drug is before prescribing it.
Folmsbee: No evidence for acupuncture
Acupuncture remains popular, despite little scientific support.
Folmsbee: Cold remedy Airborne crashes
Airborne's claim to cure the common cold is overblown
Folmsbee: Homeopathy is nothing more than a ...
Science is not only unfounded, but is also dangerous.
Folmsbee: There will never be a cure ...
Claims that a cure for cancer will be discovered are unrealistic, but ...
Do This: Ghost Tours
Learn about Lawrence's haunted history.
Good will haunting
Rumors, reports and paranormal investigators prove ghosts have yet to check out ...
Folmsbee: Science Nobel Prizes Overlooked
The American public loses interest in important Nobel Prize winners in science.
Folmsbee: Undergraduate research needs change
Viewing research as purely a resume-builder is an opportunity missed.
A fifth floor frightening
Here lurks the soul of Colonel Shalor Eldridge, or does it? Either ...
Letter: Intelligent design documentary fails to find ...
Film seeks to refute evolutionary theory.
Holtzen: The science of near death experiences
Scientific evidence doesn’t bode well for claims that NDEs require explanations beyond ...
Folmsbee: Science Nobel Prizes overlooked
Scientists from around the world were honored with Nobel Prizes, but the ...
Folmsbee: Vaccines not to blame for autism
Scientists disagree with the anti-vaccination movement over relationship between vaccines and autism.
Folmsbee: Vaccines not to blame for autism
Evidence shows vaccines are safe, but misinformation about autism is prevalent.
Huge discovery could mean tiny technology
Spintronics, or spin-based electronics, allows KU researchers to discover a new way ...
New technology catches autism earlier
KU research shows vocalizations can help diagnose autism in children as young ...
Letter to the Editor: History of peaceful ...
Many religious traditions are based on science and logic.
Tomorrow's news
High-tech T's
National Science Foundation funds grant for nanotech ...
Tiny whispering gallery mode resonators detect microscopic particles and can help in ...
Folmsbee: How genetics can help explain homosexuality
The affects of cellular makeup on sexual orientation.
Folmsbee: Genetically modified food needs support
Benefits of GMs made foggy by politics.
Letter to the editor: where science fails
Misinterpretation of science leaves readers asking the wrong questions.
Tomorrow's news: Freeloader Solar Charger
Folmsbee: Organic foods revealed
Techniques used in organic farming are wasteful and are not beneficial.
Device repels sharks as it reassures divers
A new breed of treasure hunters
Geocaching allows adventure seekers to search for hidden treasure using GPS navigation.
Real life storm chasers
Students and professionals use skills and equipment to follow severe weather.
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Folmsbee: Hunting the ghost hunters
Let's give Sai a tenured position as Kansan writer.
Folmsbee: Hunting the ghost hunters
I eagerly await a deluge of internet spammers defending the science of ghost hunting.
Folmsbee: Hunting the ghost hunters
I've recently started watching this documentary called Supernatural that's been going on for five seasons now, about these ghost hunters who travel the country. They have very scientific apparatus. They have a little machine that makes noise and lights up when there's a ghost, and another thing with green lasers so they can see where a ghost has been. It's really a very educational show.
Folmsbee: Hunting the ghost hunters
I agree that TV shows such as "Ghost Hunters" leave much to be desired, both scientifically and otherwise, but that doesn't change the fact that many people (even celebrities like actor Patrick Stewart of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fame) have claimed to experience a sighting of a ghost or of paranormal phenomena.
Moreover, whether absurd or not, mysterious images have appeared on photographs that (according to the person taking the photograph) was not visually discernable at the time. Not all of them can be scientifically debunked or explained in naturalistic terms.
So, while we all want to avoid what Folmsbee calls "intellectual laziness" and "an uncritical view of the world", it may prove helpful to provide additional information concerning the supernatural, in order to help those who have experienced paranormal events to rationally sort things out.
With that in mind, I offer the following resource:
http://www.gotquestions.org/ghosts-hauntings.html
Folmsbee: Hunting the ghost hunters
Wait, mellotron, I thought that you wanted to rationally sort things out.
That link is to a page which claims that the ghosts people have supposedly encountered are actually demons. It then proceeds to use Biblical references to support that conjecture. I hope that this is some kind of joke.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID