When thinking of the paranormal, one facet stands out and that is the theories involving spirits or if you prefer ghosts. The consensus of them is fairly divided between believers and non-believers. With both sides having convincing arguments that have their flaws but are sound enough to expand on as a theory/hypothesis. With mainstream science scoffing at paranormal research it often comes down to amateur scientist pursuing answers to one of the oldest thoughts mankind has. Is there life after death. This phrase is a misleading one in that if there is life after death it certainly is not life as we know it. With that in mind I will explain a little about the mindset of both sides of this debate and lay out some of their basic ideals that fuel their beliefs.
For the non-believer I think a lot of their doubt is self inflicted. Somewhere in their past they've lost a loved one and miss them dearly and at some point they may have believed in life after death. But the failure of this loved one to present themselves after death has left the skeptic bitter and closed off to possibilities. The irony of this is that for a lot of believers the belief started the same way, except with different results. When presented with evidence a non-believer will cry out “it's a hoax”. They tend to equate being able to reproduce phenomena as proof of nonexistence. My question to skeptics is simple. What will it take to convince you? When it comes to spirits they are short on that answer. I don't condemn them because it is a totally natural response. The truth is we're not talking Bigfoot here, where everyone agrees that a body, alive or dead would be the ultimate proof. We're talking souls, essence, consciousness, all things that due to technological limitations can't be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. This can be viewed as both sad and typical of the skeptical mind. The good news is most are swayed by a personal experience that their analytical minds come up short to explain.
For the believer you tend to have two camps. Those who approach their beliefs with a religious or metaphysical interest. And those who are insistent on simply finding an answer and are using the technology that is available to record and document ghostly activity. The religious/metaphysical crowd tend to relay on basic equipment such as hand held camcorders, digital audio recorders and rely on the direction set forth by either a psychic or others who claim to be sensitive. With this bunch every knock tends to be interpreted as ghostly communication from beyond the grave. Sadly though this approach often yields little if any substantial results. It tends to be from this group that some skeptics are born.
Emf detectors, DVR's, digital audio, wireless audio, K-2 meters, Infra red cameras, night vision cameras, broad spectrum cameras, and thermal imaging cameras, thermometers of all kinds. These are just a few of the tools employed by those who consider themselves professional investigators. Their goal is simply to prove or disprove reported paranormal activity. A good investigator will be objective in their approach, understanding that a creak in the floor board really is the age of the wood used. They don't discount a personal experience, but understand that without some form of evidence it remains a personal experience. A professional investigator will analyze each and every frame of an image they will go back measure light angles and attempt to reproduce the same results. They do this because as I said they must be objective. They also simply believe that a property owner should know of any possible alternative explanations. Actions like these and the approach they take shows a form of ethics within the investigative community.
There are no shortage of folks who don't want to believe some for religious reasons, some for personal reasons, and some for scientific reasons. Among these is a man by the name of James Randi a former stage magician and now the scourge of all claims of paranormal activity. What Mr. Randi likes to do is expose psychics who claim to talk to the dead. The problem is these folks were so bad they would have exposed themselves before long anyway. He explains away ghostly activity by relying on his skills as a master magician. The flaw with that is he's assuming that everyone he exposes as a psychic or owner of a reported haunted location has the same access and knowledge of stage magic that he does. I've once heard him proclaim that he has never had a personal experience. My personal opinion is that maybe they know he's an asshole in the afterlife as well.
Championing the professional investigators Are any number of groups around the world. Granted I'm partial towards those that don't charge a fee for two reasons. First, when you charge a fee there are certain expectations from the client. A proper pre investigation of the client should reveal to which side they are leaning towards, haunted or not. With a fee the client that believes it to be haunted may not like being told it isn't and vise versa. Second, those teams that don't charge are doing to things that do nothing but protect their image. They purchase their own equipment and are donating the time to perform a thorough investigation. They are not obligated by a fee, they're free to present the evidence collected if any. This establishes an image of thoroughness and a genuine desire for answers. As for hoaxes, well sadly they do exist. There will always be someone without scruples willing to make a dollar of someone else's misery and hope. But I argue that those are the exception and certainly not the rule.
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