Do ghosts really exist? The eeriest day of the year is nearly upon us. Scientists may argue that phantoms are imaginary, but other thinkers have offered a more creative view of supernatural events.
What philosophy says about spookiness
Do ghosts really exist? The eeriest day of the year is nearly upon us. Scientists may argue that phantoms are imaginary, but other thinkers have offered a more creative view of supernatural events.
Imagine spending the night in an old house. As you fall asleep, you hear fingertips scraping the door, footsteps tiptoeing across the room, and objects sliding off the bedside table. But, when you switch on the light, there is nobody around.
Many people believe in ghosts, but it is unclear what exactly they believe in. After all, what is a soul, or the afterlife, or the supernatural?
In the early 20th Century, many important thinkers were interested in "psychical" research - the academic study of paranormalBeyond normal scientific understanding. events such as telepathyThe ability to send information into someone else's mind without talking to or interacting with them physically. There is no good evidence that telepathy exists. or ghostly hauntings.
For instance, the Cambridge philosophy professor CD Broad argued that the human mind consists of a "physical" and a "psychic" factor. The former ends with death, but the latter might remain behind.1
Of course, other philosophers have doubted the idea of life after death. For example, David HumeThe Scottish philosopher argued that all human knowledge is acquired through experience and therefore embracing the unknown is a fundamental part of being human. argued that when you spend time with elderly people, you can see the mind and the body slowing down together. "The step further seems unavoidable; their common dissolutionAn official ending. in death."2
Despite centuries of research, no ghost has been observed in scientific conditions. Most scientists assume that phantoms are caused by some kind of confusion: the brain over-interpreting a natural event.
Hauntings may be caused by grief, or guilt or even loneliness. The modern philosophers interested in ghosts were writing between World Wars One and Two, when supernatural beliefs helped people to understand "the slaughterTo kill in a bloody or violent manner. of their children, brothers, husbands and friends".3
People have believed in ghosts in many different cultures. Whether or not they exist, thinkers need a theory to explain why the idea is so common. But that theory is more likely to come from philosophers, psychologists, and cultural commentators than from scientists.
Do ghosts really exist?
Yes: Both ancient and modern philosophers have argued that something survives when our bodies die. Surely this is the best explanation for the many hauntings experienced throughout history.
No: Plenty of philosophers have argued that the mind dies when the body is destroyed. Without scientific evidence to the contrary, belief in phantoms is just wishful thinking.
Or... People have encountered ghosts in many different cultures. Whether or not they exist, philosophy can help to explain why the belief in life after death persists.
Keywords
Paranormal - Beyond normal scientific understanding.
Telepathy - The ability to send information into someone else's mind without talking to or interacting with them physically. There is no good evidence that telepathy exists.
David Hume - The Scottish philosopher argued that all human knowledge is acquired through experience and therefore embracing the unknown is a fundamental part of being human.
Dissolution - An official ending.
Slaughter - To kill in a bloody or violent manner.
What philosophy says about spookiness
Glossary
Paranormal - Beyond normal scientific understanding.
Telepathy - The ability to send information into someone else’s mind without talking to or interacting with them physically. There is no good evidence that telepathy exists.
David Hume - The Scottish philosopher argued that all human knowledge is acquired through experience and therefore embracing the unknown is a fundamental part of being human.
Dissolution - An official ending.
Slaughter - To kill in a bloody or violent manner.