Atheism – Science and Philosophy of God’s Nonexistence

Guest Post by Ivan

*The following article has been written by Ivan and strictly reflects his personal opinion. This article should not be interpreted as an attack against any religious organization or individual.

The existence of a God has often been widely debated. As a nonbeliever of any supreme being or creator God, I will attempt to bring the scientific evidence against the possibility of a God or transcendental form of consciousness beyond the limits of neurological processes.

Philosophy

Before I begin discussing about the various evidences for the nonexistence of God, I will first discuss about the fundamental philosophy regarding the debate. First of all, the existence or nonexistence of a God cannot be proven. If a God does not exist, then obviously its nonexistence can never be proven. As an analogy, if I say that there is a Chinese teapot orbiting the sun between Earth and Mars (Russel's teapot), can anyone disprove me? Of course not. Likewise, no one can prove if it exists. Of course, we know that it does not exist because nothing proves its existence. On the other hand, if a God exists, we can never prove it unless the God decides to show itself to the world. Despite this impossibility of proving or disproving God, it is still possible to provide evidence for and against each side to add to the argument. Like the Chinese teapot analogy, an absence of empirical observation would mean that its nonexistence would be accepted unless proved otherwise.

However, the important thing to note at this juncture is that the debate revolves around evidence that shows how probable or improbable God’s existence is. It is in this post that I will give evidence for the latter in the form of scientific evidence and logical reasoning.

Part 1: The Origin of the Universe

One of the most important arguments put up by theists is the concept of the first mover, or primum movens. The idea is based on the axiom of causality which would logically indicate that a set of causes for the universe’s existence would extend to infinity, which is impossible. In order to solve the problem, theists would invoke the idea of a God. This idea is augmented by the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy in a closed system can never be created nor destroyed.


However, an important philosophical argument would render this concept false. Since the laws of physics, as well as the axiom of causality, is created at the time of the big bang, it is perfectly possible for energy to be created out of nothing and spontaneous creation to take place without the need for physical laws to be fulfilled. It is the nonexistence of causality and physical laws before the big bang that permits spontaneous creation to occur. Presently, it is thought that a hyperspace exists to allow such spontaneous creation of an infinite number of galaxies. I will discuss this on more detail later on.

Part 2: The complexity of the Universe

For most people, space is simply the black sky that hovers over their heads every night. In the past century, however, the magnificence of our universe has started to reveal itself to science. To put things into perspective, the observable universe is calculated to be 93 billion light years across (one light year is equivalent to 9.46 trillion kilometres), with the Earth being at the centre (since the calculation of the horizon is based on Earth’s perspective). In the observable universe, there are approximately 8 quintillion stars, with the sun being just one of many. I derived this number from the calculation of the number of galaxies observed by the Hubble ultra deep field, multiplying that value to the area of the night sky, and multiplying that number to the number of stars in one galaxy. This is a staggering number indeed, and it shows that Earth, being only a tiny speck of dust in the great cosmic depths, is not as special as it was once thought to be.

The universe has a beautiful set of physical laws in terms of mathematical aesthetics. Equations are always symmetrical in terms of the values on both sides, the golden ratio is found naturally in organic life, and the precise arbitrary constants of the standard model allow the existence of stable matter for life to exist. I have realised that many theists enjoy using the complexity of the universe as evidence for intelligent design. Of course, all becomes clear when the anthropic principle is understood.

First of all, the laws of the universe are undoubtedly perfect for life to form. Should the mass of the proton change by a tiny fraction, stable matter would not exist. The Earth has a perfect atmosphere and temperature for life to evolve, and the laws of physics and chemistry drives evolution in a positive direction. However, this apparent coincidence is actually based on a sort of observation-selection bias. If the conditions of the universe (and Earth) were not perfect, there is absolutely no way that life could exist. If life did not exist, we wouldn’t even be here to ponder about our existence. In today, modern physics has begun to unravel a world that is much stranger than we thought. Most scientists now believe that there is more than just the three dimensions we know today. In total, eleven dimensions are thought to exist, with only the limits of sensory perception limited to the familiar three causing the illusion that higher dimensions do not exist. With this, it is also thought that an infinite number of parallel universes exist alongside ours; each with a different set of physical laws that determine how the universe works. Using the anthropic principle, we would then realise that only habitable universes can contain life. Since life is indeed formed upon rare chance, we would assume most universes to be devoid of life, or even stars. Likewise, it is only through habitable conditions of Earth that life could exist here.

Another argument related to the anthropic principle on a planetary scale is the low probability of abiogenesis. According to creationist statistics, the probability of a protein molecule forming by itself is less than that of a hurricane sweeping through a metal scrap yard and assembling a working Boeing 747 (Hoyle’s fallacy). However, when we look at the staggering number of stars in the universe, it is obvious that this probability is overcome easily. Furthermore, the 15 billion-year old universe would have provided sufficient time for this to occur. Most importantly, however, the autosynthesis of liposomes and microspheres (membrane-bound RNA, believed to the earliest form of life on Earth) has been performed in the laboratory. This shows that the probability calculated by the creationists is not accurate in the first place.

Another argument that is often put up by theists is the apparent beauty of nature. To them, the grandeur of the sunset and breathtaking views of Earth from atop a mountain is due to the work of intelligent design. However, what they fail to take into account is the fact that our brains are adapted to the Earth and universe that we inhabit after four billion years of constant evolution. As an analogy, us humans would often feel repulsed at the sight of a female cockroach. To a male cockroach, however, the structure of a female cockroach is perfectly and beautifully designed. This was a requirement for reproduction and their survival as a species. The most important thing about this analogy, however, is that it shows how beauty is only the result of adapted psychology. This means that the mathematical and aesthetic beauty of the universe is the byproduct of evolution and not a creator. This brings me to my next point on evolution.

Part 3: Evolution

The theory of evolution is often one of the most widely-debated topics as it directly challenges the claims made by the Christian genesis. Although evolution is described as a ‘theory’, it has as much doubt in biology as quantum physics had in physics. This is important to note as many creationists argue that evolution is ‘only a theory’. By their definition, atomic theory and the theory of relativity would be only theories. As an analogy of scientific theories and facts, the constant rising of the sun in the East everyday is now established as a fact since all observational evidence proves it. If, however, the sun rises in the West one day, the theory would be proved wrong. The same goes for evolution: to date, all scientific data supports it. However, it is very susceptible to being disproven because a single evidence against it would render it untrue. In fact, the theory is supported by a massive amount of evidence which I will now put forward. At the same time, I will also clarify some of the misconceptions about evolution based on the people who argue against it.

First of all, what exactly is evolution? Evolution is actually the process whereby small changes in the form of genetic mutation occur along every generation that produces a substantial shift in genetic composition of an organism from its distant ancestors and is naturally selected due to its chances of survival. Evolution is a gradual process that occurs in every generation. While the genetic composition of the offspring is almost genetically identical to that of the parents, small changes in genes over hundreds or thousands of generations would eventually cause a significant change in the observed characteristics that differentiate the descendent species from the ancestral species. Traits that are beneficial for an organism’s survival is selected preferentially due to the fact that organisms with beneficial traits would survive better and hence be able to reproduce. Over time, constant sexual reproduction would cause beneficial genes to be spread across the entire population of a species, causing a shift in the genetic composition.

It is important to note that all organisms are transitional species between two others. Due to the fact that evolution is a gradual process, transitional fossils exist to show the smooth transition of one species to the next. In the case of humans, the chimpanzee-like australopithecines evolved to species with the genus homo, such as Homo erectus and homo habilis right up to homo sapiens as shown by fossil evidence. Although many creationists maintain that evolution is false because humans evolved from monkeys, it is important to note that modern species do not evolve from modern species. Rather, humans and monkeys share a common ape-like ancestor. In fact, all organisms share a common ancestor with one another. The only difference is, the greater the difference in genetic composition, the more distant that common ancestor is.

Another important evidence for evolution, besides the transitional fossils, is the experimental observations of evolution occurring in the laboratory. Known as the Escherichia Coli Long term evolution experiment, twelve containers of the bacteria are allowed to grow in a nutrient broth of glucose and citric acid. Due to the rapid rate of reproduction, a small sample of the bacteria would be extracted from each container daily and allowed to reproduce to the original amount on the next day. The rest of the bacteria would be frozen for observational analysis. The experiment has been going on for over twenty years, and has recently reached the 50,000th generation early this year. The significance of this experiment is that the results showed ongoing evolution in all of the different containers. The bacteria in each different container would take a different evolutionary path due to random mutations. The results were indeed stunning. At first, the original bacteria sample could only thrive on glucose as the source of food. However, one sample suddenly managed to evolve and utilise the citric acid mixed with the glucose in the nutrient broth, resulting in a sudden surge in bacteria count for that particular flask. This shows that ongoing evolution can and has been observed, and the fact that it is done based on empirical methods would mean that evolution can be directly verified.

Intelligent design, besides having only a few arguments, has much evidence to disprove it. In human males, the vas deferens (the tube carrying semen from the testes) loops over the ureter before making its way down to the penis. This is unintelligent design as the looping of the vas deferens requires the wasting and channelling of more resources to the building of the extended tube. From an ecological perspective, this is a detriment to the survival of the organism as the resources used could be channelled to other areas that would have otherwise improved other aspects of survival. From an evolutionary point of view, however, all becomes clear. In our ancestors, the scrotum was located above the bladder. After millions of years of evolution, the location of the scrotum ‘moved’ downwards to its present position due to the benefits of having it exposed to the ambient air which is of a lower temperature. During this process, the vas deferens would have to loop over the ureter by that path.

Another evidence of unintelligent design is from the ecological perspective of a forest. In forests, and especially in tropical rainforests, trees compete for sunlight by growing taller than the other trees. Although resources are wasted to increase the tree’s height, the benefits of gaining more sunlight for photosynthesis outweighs the extra resources used. From the perspective of a single tree, this is a requirement for competition. From the perspective of the entire forest, however, large amounts of resources are wasted: if all the trees did not compete with one another, the resultant intensity of sunlight falling on the surface of the trees would still be the same. As an analogy, spectators from a concert might start to stand to get a better view of the performance. However, since their act of standing up would block the view of the people behind that person, the people sitting behind would thus stand up to prevent the person from blocking their view. Over time, everyone would be standing up and the result would still be the same. From an evolutionary point of view, the wastage of resources is due to the fact that evolution occurs on an individual basis and not as a whole.

Part 4: Morality

Many theists disregard the study of science as they think that it is the work of a devil. This is an extremely closed-minded thought. Good and evil do not exist: They are concepts created by us humans. Good usually refers to morally upright acts, or acts that seem ethical. There is no clear distinction between good and evil, as changing circumstances would change what defines both. Furthermore, behaviour is the result of both our psychology (i.e. greed, sex drive), and the living environment (e.g. bad childhood). All people are created with a somewhat similar psychology (with slight variation as a result of genetic mutation), but different living environment. Personality is determined by experiences and not the existence of a soul.

Yet, why do we stand up against injustice? The answer does not lie in a god, but with evolution once again. By feeling pity for another member of the same species, we are increasing our chances of survival. Of course, you might argue that animal-lovers are common and this would contradict evolution. However, evolution does have an explanation for it. It is known as reciprocal altruism (you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours). Reciprocal altruism refers to the apparent non-selfish act involving first helping another organism at the expense of one’s own survival. This is evident in symbiotic relationships between species. Within a single species, each organism has ideal behavioural characteristics that lie somewhere in between all-greedy and all-giving. This ensures that while an organism would aid and cooperate with other members of the species, a form of selfishness must exist to ensure the survival of itself.

Evolution cares nothing for the comfort of any organism. The many wasps sting an insect prey as a host for reproduction. By strategically stinging the ganglia of the host prey, the prey would be paralysed, thereby enabling the wasp to inject its eggs into the body of the insect. Throughout this process, the host insect is kept alive, only paralysed. The larvae hatched from the eggs would then move on to devour the meat of the host insect while it is still alive. This is indeed a traumatising death for the host insect. Yet, this is important for the survival of the wasp as it ensures that the meat is kept fresh. This is a fact of evolution, and nature does not care whether the host insect suffers a traumatising death. Justice often fails to be done. That is a fact of life that has to be accepted. Morality is merely an illusion created by reciprocal altruism. Does this mean that the theory of evolution would cause chaos in society? Perhaps it will. Theists often use this argument that by accepting Darwinism into society, injustice would pervade. This argument is also known as argumentum ad consequentiam. However, our preferences do not decide how nature works. Whether we like it or not, evolution is still true. Per contra, even if Darwinism is accepted by the scientific community, it does not mean that society would function based on its principle. This, however, is beyond the scope of this post.

Part 5: Are humans the only species to qualify the entry to heaven?

This is perhaps one of the most direct evidence against the existence of a God. Many religions assume that only humans would go to heaven. However, fossil evidence shows that there is no clear distinction between humans and apes. Transitional fossils exist with a smooth transition until the human species. If this is the case, how do we define what a human is? Humans are continually evolving, and because the process is so gradual there each successive generation can be considered genetically identical from the previous one. Yet, there exists a slight change in DNA from one generation to the other. This amounts to large scale changes over millions of years. This also means, however, that there is a loss of clear definition of a human, and thus who goes to heaven. The idea of hell is also based on a fallacy. How do we define good and bad? There is no common consensus that clearly defines the two.

Even if all creatures go to heaven, how do you differentiate conscious life from non-conscious life? You might say that this lies in the presence of a brain. However, there is also no clear distinction between what is considered as a brain. For one, some organisms contain a centralised and complex network of nervous tissue but lack what we would consider as a brain. Like I mentioned previously, evolution is a gradual process and no clear distinctions can be made. If a conscious organism is but a smooth transition from an unconscious one (as proven in fossil record), how do we define what can transcend physical death? It is unlikely that a benevolent and omnipotent God would favour a certain group of organisms over another.

Even assuming that all creatures, both conscious and unconscious, would transcend death and go to heaven (or hell), how do we define life and non-life? Viruses show characteristics of both, and the first organisms were just a clump of membrane-bounded RNA. From all the evidence above, it is thus obvious to note that it is unlikely that a God could exist. The absence of any clear distinction between all forms of life, as well as life and non-life, would indicate that it is impossible for any afterlife to exist.

Part 6: The Paranormal

Paranormal activities in the form of haunting by entities returning from the afterlife have been reported in most, if not all cultures across the globe. These cultures exist independently from one another. It is possible, however, that the idea of the supernatural has existed in the very first humans who originated in Africa. For the benefit of the doubt, however, I will assume that the ideas of ghosts were created independently from the different cultures.

If the idea of supernatural forces influencing human lives were created independently across the world, does this mean that ghosts really do exist? The answer is a vehement ‘no’. Reports of paranormal activities are more likely to be the side effect of an evolutionary byproduct. First of all, our natural curiosity towards the universe (which has benefited us by enabling us to develop technology that started in primitive humans) results in a tendency to attribute unknown gaps in information to an unknown force. For example, our distant ancestors believed that fire was the result of a God and required the adding of firewood as a way to appease it and continue producing fire. This characteristic of the human mind has far-reaching consequences that resulted in many theists arguing about gaps in science through an argument from ignorance, or argumentum ad ignoratiam.

The second cause of supernatural beliefs is the result of the psychological need to believe in the continuation of consciousness beyond death. When organisms evolved from non-conscious life to conscious life, the need for survival is transferred from a physical level to a psychological level. This results in us not being able to perceive a time when conscious activity ceases. As a result, we would tend to think that some sort of continuation of one’s self and mind would transcend beyond physical death, resulting in a belief that dead ancestors would manifest in a ghost-like entity capable of returning from the dead.

Most paranormal encounters are the result of psychological activities that stem from psychological inadequacies prevalent in all humans, such as paraedolia, or the natural tendency to look for patterns. Hallucinations are also a common cause, and are often augmented by one’s belief system. Experiments in virtual reality have proven that whenever a person enters a place believed by that person to be haunted, he or she would observe entities or objects that are not really there. This effect can be increased by the addition of electromagnetic fields and infrasound.

Reports of paranormal activity observed by more than one person simultaneously cannot be attributed to psychological effects. However, they too, can be explained by physical effects not quite understood. Human emotions are extremely powerful energies that can leave a signature at a certain location. This is often the cause of residual haunting. Although the neurological model of consciousness and emotions is not yet completely understood, biochemical reactions occurring as a result of powerful emotions such as a traumatic death might release vast amounts of energy, possibly electromagnetic in nature. If the energy is powerful enough, local conditions such as the presence of material in soil that can be easily magnetised might act as some sort of natural recorder. This energy can be replayed continuously for centuries when the electromagnetic fields interact with the brain of the visitor. Note, however, that this is only a theory and that a diverse range of scientific phenomena can account for this. The growing field of Quantum mechanics might also provide another explanation for such paranormal activity.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, the existence of a God is highly unlikely. Given all the scientific evidence, rational thinkers would easily assume that the existence of a God is highly improbable. While there is still the possibility that a God exists, our current understanding of the universe shows that it is highly unlikely that there is such a possibility. For one, a God is not required for all that we see today, and closer observation of life and the universe indicates that God does not exist.

Admin

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to apologize for the VERY retarded rate of blogging. Time hasn’t been kind to me at all. I didn't have time to interact with you guys nor update the blog. Anyway, I managed to get a few hours off today and created a Facebook page for contemplasian. You can see the links on the right.

If you have something interesting to write, please drop me an email (which I do check regularly) and I will post them up. As for blogging, I'll be busy for the rest of the year. But I'll drop to create at least 2-4 posts by the end of this year. You are all welcome to post on the FB page. I'll try to check it once a week.

Updates: Ivan said the link isn't working. So here's the FB page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ContemplAsian/147126831988935 

Cheerios,
DM

Will Boot Camp work out for Juvenile Delinquents?

After watching the cyber wars against Ah Lians and Ah Bengs at HWZ recently, I just start to wonder if the ALs and ABs know what they are doing in their life. They glorify under-aged smoking/drinking, take pride that they belong in gangs and electronic tags end up as a form of battle trophy. Many psychology theories agree that the adolescent period is the period of identity confusion where teenagers are doing their best to search for a place where they belong (regardless of whether it’s good or bad).

The main issue that got me worried was that these at-risk kids are getting a lot younger (ranging around 12 years old) and they openly glorify their actions of stealing bikes, smoking, belonging to gangs, etc in their blogs. Although I understand that there are many reasons why many adolescents turn delinquent, I have to say that most of the rehab programs lack the resources to deal with each juvenile delinquent on the individual level. Most of the rehab programs like probation, Girls' Home, Boys' Home, etc seem to be unsuitable for many delinquents because they seem determined to glorify in their “badness”. Like one professor once said to me, they probably gave up being the best of the best, so they decided to be the best of the worst because that’s the only thing they can hope to achieve.

Many juvenile delinquents (JD) are typically from low SES, broken/dysfunctional families and are overly represented in the NT population. Most of the time, they are the by-products of ill-discipline and poor opportunity. Personally, I think the growing rates of JD are due to the maturing of the “spoilt generation” of Singaporeans. This is a generation that I notice to be very spoilt- their parents give them everything they want except close parental monitoring. In fact, it has reached a stage where many parents use extremely large amounts of pocket money as a form of compensation for the lack of time spent interacting with their kids. In my day, pocket money would be sufficient for my meals only. MacDonalds and trips to the cinema were a privilege, not a routine. Many parents today don’t even know their children’s timetables or what their kids are doing in their spare time.

You can read an academic paper about factors affecting JD in Singapore here.
Although there has been a slight drop in JDs arrested over the years, I question if it is because less of them get caught, or are there actually less JDs around. In my biased opinion, I suspect the former is probably true. Given the Flynn effect, is it that hard to believe that JDs may have found a way to outsmart the criminal justice system? It’s quite possible. With the help of the internet, many people are learning and doing illegal stuff. Did you know that Youtube has a video on how to pick locks?

So the big question is how to deal with these kids? Personally, I’m in for the break and re-mould concept of shaping them again. What I propose is a lot more radical than the Boys' or Girls' home and let me clarify. What I have in mind is for the extreme JDs, the type that probably have conduct disorder, no respect for authority, no self respect and a conscience that probably went into coma a long time ago. I tend to favor discipline as the cause and solution to all of life’s problems. Boot Camp would be the best place to teach them that. Many psychologists are of the opinion that placing a group of JD together would only make things worse because they learn more deviant behavior from each other. Personally, I agree but I think the context matters. I propose an environment of mentoring and encouragement through discipline, teaching them life skills and learn that they are respected as individuals. So this is my idea of boot camp:

Duration: 1 Year

Admission Criteria: Beyond Parental Control children. They may only join the program if the teachers, counsellor, judge and parents deem it necessary.

Intake: 60 at a time. 30 male; 30 female. Divided into 3 platoons that train, eat and live together (divided by gender of course)

Entry point: No overnight bags needed. Report in as dressed. Cadet’s personal items will be removed and they will be issued a set of essential items- plastic glasses, toiletries, towel, underwear, uniform, PT kit, running shoes, boots and led to their bunkers. Male and female cadets will be shaved bald and all forms of personal adornment (i.e. rings, ear rings, necklaces) will be removed. This is to deprive all of them of a sense of identity and make them easier to train.

Program:

1. Briefing about the rules. One 5min phone-call allowed each month. Both parents and cadets are strongly encouraged to write letters. Cadets must make their own bed, clean their bunks and wash their toilets.

2. Briefing about how to wear the uniform, how to tie the boots, who is who is the camp.

3. Basic footdrills will be conducted

4. Basic combat drills, live firing and hand grenade to teach them the value of life.

5. Obstacle course to inculcate respect for others, not just authority, but peers too. Group dynamics would be a focus in these courses to reinforce the need to respect themselves and those around them.

6. Inculcate anger management skills by offering incentives for obedience and punishment for insubordination.

7. Inculcate communication skills and focus on how to express themselves in a healthy manner.

8. Have regular sessions with counsellor and psychologist to help them understand their own behavior and how to improve themselves.

9. Engage in gardening and animal husbandry to teach them the value of how to nurture.

10. Cadets will be given a pig/rabbit to take care off when they first arrive and they'll be asked to shoot their pig/rabbit 6months down the row for food. Cadets will not be forced into slaughtering their pet. It is an exercise to help them understand how their parents feel about bring up their children only to see them grow wild and face the decision of "terminating" them.

After the 3months of isolation for intensive training, they will be allowed to have a day or two off per week just like the normal NS men. If they mess that up, they forfeit that freedom.

Resources required: 1 cook, 1 on-site psychologist, 1 on-site counselor, 6 training instructors (3 of each gender) and 1 medical officer.

After the 1 year of training, a support team of psychologists and counsellors that will still keep in touch with them for up to 5 years. They will be offered a slot in skill training courses to make them more elligable for the work force. In addition to that, I propose that they be awarded with a certificate of recommendation if their instructors, psychologist and counsellor all agree that he/she is worthy of it. After this boot camp stint, I'm pretty sure they'll start to appreciate home and family a lot more.

This is my idea. I tried presenting it to someone and receive the feedback that it is too idealistic and I should get off my moral high horse. Perhaps I am on a moral high horse, but than again, its just a radical idea isn't it? I don't feel a compulsion to help these "poor souls" afterall, the fall of each one means that I stand higher in life! But the thing is, I think they deserve better and why not offer them a last chance to improve their life? I view this as the last ditch effort to save these delinquents from a permanent career as criminals or poorly paid individuals.

This camp is what I would describe as a make or break. I've met enough "retired" delinquents and career criminals (aka gang members) who regret their hey-days and spend out the rest of their lives working for peanuts at low-skill jobs. They would tell me stories of how they had many chances to live a better life but they messed up everything in their desperate efforts to become rich and powerful the fast and easy way. I will always remember their one and only advice to me: "Don't end up like me".

If you thought I'm radical, watch this boot camp for problem kids in China.

Strange Creatures Series- Do Ghosts exist? Part 2

Hey everyone,

I think I love ghosts too much. Hehehe, so I'm going to post up some more ghost pictures that I personally believe to be authentic but wasn't on the weblink that I posted up yesterday. Here we go:

When I first saw this picture, I thought the kid was the one crying in the foreground. However, someone helpfully added the red circle and now you can see a little girl posing with the adults. =)

Apparently the ghostly face behind the old man belongs to his wife. Nice to know that your loved ones are still sticking around and waiting for you to kick the bucket.

Look at the state of the building. It is so heavily blocked up I doubt if anyone can go up there and yet there is a very clearly image of someone in period dress. Looks like 17th century to me. It looks fake to many people I know, but to me, I think it's real because it seems to be "glowing". The surrounding areas around it are dark and if there's a light trained on it, the surrounding areas would be lighted up as well, but that didn't happen. The light seems to be coming from the figure itself. So yeah, go figure.

In addition to these manifestations, I would also like to talk a little about object possession. It seems ghosts have the ability to possess objects and manifest hauntings through it. For the Chinese readers out there, I'm sure you'll remember your parents telling you not to pick up stuff randomly from the roadside. And I'm sure if you read Russell Lee, you'll probably recall stories of "bad luck coins" or people bringing home haunted vases, toys, etc... However our Asian hauntings are not as widely documented as the Western ones. So I have to settle for showing you guys hauntings from the West.

Robert the Doll

Robert, sometimes known as Robert the Doll, is a doll that was once owned by Key West painter Robert Eugene Otto. The doll is approximately 100 years old. The creepy thing about this doll is the owner's treatment of it. He treated it as an independent invididual and it is alleged that the doll can move on it's own. He was seen darting up and down the stairs and people could here his feet tapping on the floorboards.

If you guys aren't too young, you'll probably recall the alleged hauntings of Teletubbies and Furbies Well, I'm not quite sure about the details but I heard of rumours of the voice actors committing mass-suicides. Anyway, if you notice, no more teletubbies are on sale, no more new episodes have been filmed ever since that happened. I know of kids who still enjoy watching them, so I won't say it's due to a fall in demand... Mysterious...

You can read more about haunted dolls here. There's Mandy and Annabelle for you to read up on.

Moving on from the haunted dolls, other haunted objects are typically refered to as cursed. Let me identify some famous "cursed" objects for you.

Diamonds
Diamonds are a girl's best friend, or her curse? There are 2 infamous diamonds that are allegedly cursed and plague their owners with a string of misfortune and death. They are the Hope Diamond and the Lorenzenstien Diamond.



Busby's Stoop Chair
Thomas Busby a local man became partners with his father in law Awety in the illicit coining business at the hall. It was reported, Busby a bully and drunkard, returned home to discover Daniel Awety sat in his favourite chair and after an argument threw Awety out. It is said, Awety threatened to take his daughter Elizabeth away from Busby and return her to Danotty Hall.


Later that night Thomas Busby went up to Danotty Hall and bludgeoned Daniel Awety to death with a hammer. After murdering Awety, Busby hid the body in nearby woodland. When Awety failed to appear, a search was mounted which led to the discovery of Daniel Awety's body and the arrest of Thomas Busby.

Busby was tried at York Assizes in 1702 and condemned to hang and his body dipped in pitch and left in a gibbet opposite the coaching inn at the cross roads on the old great north road leading into Thirsk.

As Thomas Busby was being lead to his execution he is supposed to have cursed anyone who dared sit in his chair. Thereafter the inn became known as the Busby Stoop Inn and the curse of the chair was born, or was it?

It's now suggested, the Busby Stoop chair famously hanging in the Thirsk museum (so no one can sit on it) and the focus of so much fear, might not have been made until after 1840, some 138 years after Thomas Busby's execution.

It is alleged that there has been a string of fatal incidents linked to individuals who have sat in this chair during the 1970s. So beware...

Taken from here.

Strange Creatures Series- Do Ghosts exist?

Do ghosts exist?

Do you believe in ghosts?

What is a ghost?

A ghost - or spirit or apparition - is the energy, soul or personality of a person who has died and has somehow gotten stuck between this plane of existence and the next. Most researchers believe that these spirits do not know they are dead. Very often they have died under traumatic, unusual or highly emotional circumstances. Ghosts can be perceived by the living in a number of ways: through sight (apparitions), sound (voices), smell (frangrances and odors), touch - and sometimes they can just be sensed. Taken from here.

Now, it is possible to prove the evidence of ghosts by capturing pictures/videos of them with cameras, capturing their voices on recorders (EVPs), tracking them down with EMF meters (electromagnatic field)or thermal cameras, etc. Some of these may be real, some may be fake. So intepretation has to come about through experience. =)

Many people they declare that they don't believe in ghosts. But I have a question, if ghosts don't exist than why is it that every culture has it's own version of ghosts? Today, when we think of ghosts, what comes into mind is a pale figure or a severely decomposing figure that suddenly appears out of no where and tries to scare you to death or kill you. This is the stereotype image of ghosts thanks to cinemas.

Based on years of reading and researching, I would say that ghosts are probably harmless and most of the time, they aren't what the movies potray them to be. Most of the time, humans are the ones that scare themselves. Ghosts are usually harmless except for poltergeists who are capable of throwing things at people and in extreme cases, scratching them pretty badly. There are some ghost pictures taken and I don't think they are fake. I've attached 2 links here so that you can read up more by yourself:
- Real Photos (or rather, no evidence of forgery)
- Alleged Ghost Pictures (Evidence of manipulation be it intentional or unintentional)

I have some video clips for you guys to see. I follow only 2 ghost-hunting shows- Most Haunted and Ghost Hunters. There is a difference between the two.

Most Haunted has a "psychic" medium in the crew and they go into an allegedly haunted location thinking that it is haunted and start to scare themselves silly. I won't make any comments about whether they faked evidence whatsoever. I would just like to highlight how their psychological state is affected by their expectations of an angry vengeful ghost. They conduct seances, complain of cold spots or having rocks thrown on them. Unfortunately the lack of control in terms of who was where at which point and the lack professional equipment like thermometers or EMF detectors left room for doubt. However, they have a parapsychologist in the team who objectively questions evidence and rarely concedes that an evidence might be paranormal unless he cannot attributed it to something else.

Ghost Hunters go in with the expectation that the place is not haunted unless they are convinced by the evidence. They don't have a psychic with them but they used electronic devices like an EMF meter or a torchlight to communicate with the "entity". They leave the device away from them and ask for responses to their questions. If there's nothing they can find in terms of video evidence, audio recordings or personal experience, they will just tell the host that the place is not haunted in their opinion. You don't see a group of people screaming and running away at the slightest noise. Ghost hunters will trace down the source of noise and try to explain it. If they can't, they'll conclude that it's probably unnatural. E.g. If there's a thumping sound on the roof, they'll send one member up to the roof and run/jump all over it. They'll try to see if they can replicate the noise. =)

So here we go:

Most Haunted:

Listen out for the gutteral "hello" at 2min++. I'll be much happier if Stuart didn't get scared to bits and investigate further by seeing if he can replicate it.

I'm going to post up the entire series on Derby Gaol. It's an old jail and Yvette seems to be experiencing a whole range of emotional outbursts (to be honest, it might be real because in places like the Edinburgh Vaults, people inexplicably breakdown into tears at certain areas). And Derek the medium seems to be pretty dramatic. If you hear Derek talking to someone invisible called "Sam", it's his spirit guide.










Ghost Hunters:





This is one of the best EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) that I've ever heard. =)


P.S. The camera guy is a guy. And there's no other female around them.

Happy watching and form your own conclusions about whether ghosts exist. To end it off, I'll include another 2 videos of my favorite comedians- French and Saunders, who created a parody of Most Haunted.

Happy X'mas!!

Hello guys!!

I'm so sorry I've been to busy and lazy recently to post anything up. I think my brain is too tired. Because X'mas is coming up, I've decided to post up some videos to share with you guys. =) It has nothing to do with the contemplasian goals or ideals but heck, its X'mas, time to have fun yar? It's a rather macarbre collection of videos about nature from youtube that I've specially selected for you guys. Have a great X'mas, have lots of nice, clean fun.

P.S. By the time you're done watching this, you'll probably never look at turkey stuffing, cottage cheese, cream or any bump on your skin quite the same way again. *Evil Laughter*

Booomz- Staph's infection






Bot Flies


Just in case you guys have no idea what botflies are:




Funny Urophilic Orang Utan

Cheerios,
DM

Extra-ordinary people: Are they better off dead than alive?

Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been obscenely busy. Anyway, today, I'm sharing some videos from youtube. The theme is basically concerning living miracles- are they better off dead than alive?. After talking to so many people who are so caught up in the miseries of their personal lives, I've decided to do a post about some individuals who are suffering more than us and hopefully, we would learn how to appreciate ourselves and those around us better. The following videos are GRAPHIC. I hope that after watching them, no one will say anythig insensitive.

The Boy with Half a Brain

Poor kid got shot in the head. It is pretty much a miracle how he survived without half of his brains. I could tell that most of his right parietal lobe is gone. That is the part of the brain that deals with sensory-motor functions. People with brain damage there have problems trying to match the real world with the perceived one. So if you had them a card and tell them to slot it into the box, they can probably describe the slot to you but can't put it into the slot. This is but one example and it doesn't occur all the time. Because the brain is such an intricate organ, damage to one tiny part alone can cause a LOT of problems.

Treacher Collins Syndrome

This is a genetic illness caused by recessive genes. When I saw this video, I was more disturbed by comments that the kid is better off dead than alive. I just wonder if that is the right attitude to have but honestly, I rather my parents finish me off if I look like that... (Yes, I'm horribly vain.)

A Woman without Arms

I really have to take off my hat to this lady. She is probably a living proof that physical deformity is not the end of the road towards a fulfilling life. =) Her determination is truly a source of inspiration. I just feel sad that there are people who rather criticize her for being imperfect rather than admire her for her courage and determination.

8 limbed girl

I always believed that whilst people should respect traditions, they should no be a slave to them. This girl is obviously no having a good life and instead of seeking help, she is denied treatment because they believe her to be a reincarnation of Lakshmi.

The Tree Man


The Man with a 20kg tumour on his face


Looking at all the people above, is it right to say that they are better off dead than alive? Are their lives worthless and meaningless just because they were not born physically perfect/wholesome? I think there are too many issues to contemplate over this.
1. Should parents have the right to let their children die naturally if they are born imperfect?
2. Does the society have the right to eliminate the imperfect people of the world (assuming social darwinist mentality is applicable here)?
3. Are the "victims" allowed a choice to live or die?
4. Where do we draw a line between "not worth living", "worth a try" and "still can cope"?