Introduction
As a rule, the human mind refuses to believe in something which cannot be explained scientifically. A fact or phenomenon which lacks scientific explanation is often referred to as ‘paranormal’. In general, paranormal is a term ascribed to “experiences that suggest an interaction, information transfer or communication between a being and the environment or another being that cannot yet be explained by normal means” (Henry 1). At present, science is unable to trace and thus explain such paranormal objects and phenomena as extra-sensory perception (telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, etc), psychokinesis, Bermuda Triangle, ghosts, UFOs, haunting houses, etc. This problem is complicated by the fact that it is rarely approached from the research perspective. There is no unity of opinion among the scientists on whether paranormal does or does not exist with the only applied approaches being anecdotal, experimental, skeptical, participant-observer, and survey approach. None of them gives exact results, which accounts for the diversity of opinions regarding the existence of the paranormal. Claiming that the paranormal does not exist only because it cannot be proven is erroneous because the experience of humanity shows that lack of knowledge often leads to mistakes; at present, people believe in several things which are invisible and the polls show that the biggest half of the world’s population believes in the paranormal, which means that the latter deserves a chance for being researched and considered as possible.
Paranormal isn’t impossible
To begin with, people who firmly believe that the paranormal does not exist may be mistaken, just as the whole of humanity was several centuries ago. Denying what cannot be explained is the easiest way out of any situation; those who deny the existence of the paranormal are simply unable to broaden their horizons and at least to assume the possibility of its existence and, which is sometimes even more complicated, of the fact that they are wrong. People who lived in the fifteenth century, several educated and respective persons being among them, believed that the Earth was flat only because they were looking at the horizon from a limited perspective (Gore 43). Yet, these people never stopped convincing the others that the Earth was nothing but a plain and succeeded in this until there appeared a person who tried to prove the opposite and not only aroused public derision but was even executed. The same is true about physics when scientists believed that the atom was the smallest particle until they discovered that it and its core consisted of protons, neutrons, electrons, etc. Therefore, the fact that people do not know much about the paranormal does not prove that it is impossible.
The existence of the paranormal
The existence of the paranormal can be proven by the fact that people believe in several things which are not visible to their sight. There exists sufficient evidence of the things which cannot be seen, such as wind, for example. Nobody knows where the wind comes from and where it goes (Stewart 184); it took scientists several decades to learn to predict its track, which they do not always do successfully. If paranormal objects (or subjects), such as ghosts, for instance, are not visible to everyone or are visible only to a limited number of people, this simply means that their visibility is preconditioned and dependent on something. Likewise, people would not be aware of fungi, bacteria, and the like microorganisms if they were guided by the idea that the thing does not exist if it is not visible to the naked eye. Thus, the existence of the paranormal can be assumed because the fact that not everybody can see or experience it is not enough to claim the opposite.
Finally, the fact that the paranormal exists cannot be simply denied because several people witnessed paranormal events and even participated in them. Of course, believing in what the media tells or shows is unwise, but public polls still reveal that most people either witnessed these events themselves or know somebody who witnessed them. Thus, according to numerous polls conducted among the American people, 40% believe in ghosts, 42% believe in haunting houses, 15% in spirit possession, 28% in communicating with the dead, 21% in reincarnation, 32% in clairvoyance, and 69% have experienced a déjà vu (Smith 22). 70% of the respondents stated that they were subjected to something paranormal at least once in their life. This means that so many people cannot be mistaken or lying altogether and that the paranormal does exist, though it is not accessible to everybody.
Conclusion
In sum, the abovementioned facts allow assuming that the paranormal can exist, regardless of the critics’ claiming the opposite. The only proof of those who do not believe in the paranormal is that they cannot see it. This is not sufficient proof for there are several other things which people cannot see. Though for today nobody has still proven that the paranormal exists, a large number of people have experienced or witnessed it, which means that trying to prove its existence is worth it.
Works Cited
- Gore, Albert. Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000.
- Henry, Jane. Parapsychology: Research on Exceptional Experiences. New York: Routledge, 2005.
- Smith, Jonathan C. Pseudoscience and Extraordinary Claims of the Paranormal: A Critical Thinker’s Toolkit. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2009.
- Stewart, David. The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple: God’s Love Manifest in Molecules. London: Care Publications, 2005.