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Originally Posted by VeggieLover
Since we can't really explain it using conventional scientific methods, we can either assume that it doesn't exist, challenging nothing, or we can speculate that there is a realm (and i use that term both figurativly and literally) of abstract spirituallity -- of energy really -- that cannot now and will probably never be "proven" with physical evidence. What we call the sugar pill effect might be totally true, or it could be just the tip of the iceburg when it comes to polarity therapy etc.
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You can't assume that by saying something doesn't exist, you're challenging nothing. Just as an example, if you make a statement that God does not exist, that will challenge a whole bunch of people. Most people are not "scientifically sterile" in their beliefs, at least not in this country, so if you only believe in the scientifically proven, that would come into conflict with many beliefs the average person has.
The placebo effect is real. Before new medications can come on the market, they go through blind tests with placebo. Basically, you have test groups that get the medication, either sugar pills or the real thing. It's a blind test because as a participant, you don't know yourself if you got the medication or a fake. For the medication to pass the test and enter the market, it has to have a significant beneficial effect beyond that of the placebo. Significant is a term that basically means proven within some certainty, usually 95% and up, with statistics.
As in my spooky-house-door-close scenario - if you consider healing by crystals f.ex, you can explain it by several hypotheses. Nr. 1 could be that it's a placebo effect. That makes no new assumptions; we know placebos work and that assumption is already integrated and used in medical science. Nr. 2 is that minerals actually have healing powers. Then you have to assume that minerals can have the power to heal people.
I'm not saying it's a totally crazy idea, it could be that it's true, but when you can already explain the phenomena by what we already know without making new assumptions, I tend to prefer that myself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by VeggieLover
We don't have to believe in all the myths and spooky ghost stories, but there is evidence, though perhaps minimal and non-conclusive, of such things. One cannot seperate completely these two different worlds, but they do exist very differently (the way I see them). There is no way to prove it -- true; but maybe if we let ourselves see different kinds of proof, we'll unlock it a little more.
Obviously I'm not going to convince you of anything. After all I'm just a sixteen year old high school student with a strong sense of the spiritual. You are studying to become a biologist (think thats wut u said) and have not only the evidence but the experiance to back up your convictions. There is a point wher having a critical mind crosses over into having a closed mind. I'm not accusing you of this, or any scientist, im just saying humans do have that tendancy.
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If there really are ghosts, we will probably prove their existence in the future. Until then, I think we have to accept that people are going to be inclined to believe in them - some get scared of them in the dark, certain television programs will make money on their supposed existence and a whole bunch of people will be comforted in the idea that granny is still there, watching over them. There's a lot that will nudge you in the belief direction regardless of wether it's true or not. I don't believe, but if it's ever proven, I'll accept it. Until then, I can enjoy living in a world which is a little less paradoxal.
When you're a teenager, that's when you start thinking for yourself and so of course you go through a bit of a spiritual search to find something to believe in. I've been there myself and without any religious upbringing, I was intrigued by the fact that so many treatment methods appearantly work, wether it's voodoo or hoaxy electrolytic foot-baths. At some point when I learned more about the power of suggestion, I saw that the most likely explanation was that the effect came from ourselves and not the method .. basically, I found out about the placebo effect which gets thrown around a lot now, perhaps too much, but it is an important step in order to understand ourselves and other people.