I used to believe in ghosts, though I never cared for the religious angle. Ghosts as a concept seem to be one of our most ingrained lore topics, there isn't really anything else that has held the same precedence as a narrative theme in stories or old wives tales as that of the spooky specter, it can be traced back to some of our earliest writings and oral traditions.
I think our fascination with ghosts transcends whatever framework the popular religious mindset tries to pigeonhole it into. Why else would basically every culture so prominently weave it into their literary culture and folklore? Why else would ghosts feature so heavily in modern day horror stories and older classic works? Ghosts act as an embodiment of our fear of the unknown, our desire to enact agency after death, our fascination with the idea of unfinished business tethering one's essence into a state of restlessness that defies death, and our intrigue in how ghosts act as "living" snapshots to times gone by.
So I don't care if I don't believe them, I still go on ghost tours to hear the local legends. We as a species love stories, we're really good at telling them and our brains are really good at suspending disbelief. Ghosts intersect multiple levels of the more primal aspects of our brain and are therefore one of the most popular story devices ever. I think that lends more to their common acceptance as a genuine phenomena than religion. Religion isn't so much a propagator of beliefs in ghosts as it is a complementary way of thinking, both religion and ghosts revolve around concepts that tap directly into our emotional responses rather than our critical thinking.
I think our fascination with ghosts transcends whatever framework the popular religious mindset tries to pigeonhole it into. Why else would basically every culture so prominently weave it into their literary culture and folklore? Why else would ghosts feature so heavily in modern day horror stories and older classic works? Ghosts act as an embodiment of our fear of the unknown, our desire to enact agency after death, our fascination with the idea of unfinished business tethering one's essence into a state of restlessness that defies death, and our intrigue in how ghosts act as "living" snapshots to times gone by.
So I don't care if I don't believe them, I still go on ghost tours to hear the local legends. We as a species love stories, we're really good at telling them and our brains are really good at suspending disbelief. Ghosts intersect multiple levels of the more primal aspects of our brain and are therefore one of the most popular story devices ever. I think that lends more to their common acceptance as a genuine phenomena than religion. Religion isn't so much a propagator of beliefs in ghosts as it is a complementary way of thinking, both religion and ghosts revolve around concepts that tap directly into our emotional responses rather than our critical thinking.
freedomfromfallacy » I'm weighing my tears to see if the happy ones weigh the same as the sad ones.
