Ghosts Whether or Not Ghosts Actually Exist

Ghosts

Whether or not ghosts actually exist is a question that has been debated in almost every culture and region around the world since times immemorial. Those who believe in ghosts point to countless instances of unexplained phenomena in which strange sightings and paranormal happenings have taken place. The skeptics on the other hand dismiss such suggestions about "ghosts" as figments of human imagination that have no scientific basis or proof. This essay explores the question: whether ghosts really exist?

The popular Western concept of ghosts is that souls that could not find rest after death, or have some unfinished business in the material world such as seeking revenge, linger on Earth and sometimes appear as apparitions. A broader concept of "ghosts" includes any paranormal or unexplained happenings like the spontaneous movements of an object, strange noises heard in "haunted" places, or even the feeling of a "presence" in one's surroundings. Certain specific buildings or areas are said to be "haunted" where sightings of various ghosts are known to have taken place. For example, the Tower of London

is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of Anne Boleyn (the wife of Henry VIII, King of England), Thomas Beckett,

and various Kings who lived and died in the palace. ("Ghost," 2005) More specifically, in December 2003, closed-circuit security cameras at Hampton Court Palace, a Tudor castle in southwest London, allegedly captured the clear image of a costumed "ghost" standing in a doorway. ("Ghostly Image ... " 2003) Some accounts even suggest that the White House is haunted by the ghost of Abraham Lincoln and lesser U.S. Presidents who resided in it!

While those who believe in ghosts cite such sightings as "proof" about the existence of ghosts, the skeptics believe that there are much simpler explanations their alleged sightings. The skeptics challenge the motive of the person reporting an incident of ghost citing. For instance, as ghosts are widely believed to linger on the Earth for seeking justice or revenge, the "ghost stories" may have been invented to dissuade people from murder and cruel treatment of others. Ghost sightings (including that of the Hampton Court "ghost") are ascribed to elaborate hoaxes staged for the purpose of publicity or as a prank. Other scientific explanations for the supposed appearance of ghosts include the inability of the human peripheral vision to detect color or focused shape while being sensitive to motion; hence the oft-stated semi-transparent or unfocused fog-like figure of ghosts. The feeling of a "presence" in the room, often cited as 'proof' of ghosts or spirits, can be explained by the occurrence of infrasound, i.e., sounds of low frequencies that are below the auditory level of the human ear, but may arouse the feelings of a foreign presence. Psychological reasons, such as preconceived concepts about a haunted place, could also create exaggerated images in the mind, with the person "seeing" what he or she wants to see. ("Ghost," 2005)