4 ms·

My prior probability of the existence of demonic possession is very close to 0, so until I see better evidence than a few dubious anecdotes (that always have ex

by outlace 10y ago

My prior probability of the existence of demonic possession is very close to 0, so until I see better evidence than a few dubious anecdotes (that always have explanations for why we can't capture supposed paranormal activity on camera), my posterior probability will remain very close to zero.

ryao 10y ago
Catching something extraordinary on camera has never been proof. In the past, people could claim dark room effects. In the present, people can claim photoshop. It is silly to ask that such things be caught on camera when real images would be indistinguishable from fake images. You need to see such things firsthand like that psychiatrist claims to have and if you do, almost no one in this age will believe you. It would something like this, except without any fun before the last pane: https://xkcd.com/693/ https://xkcd.com/693/ That psychiatrist ought to know that feeling. Here is to hoping that none of us ever do.
- reddytowns 10y ago
  It would stand to reason, then, out of the thousands of badly faked photographs and videos, the mysterious blobs that could be caused by malfunctioning cameras, and the out of focus, blurry, easy mistakable everday objects declared as "ghosts" there would be a few clear, in focus photos or videos, which couldn't be easily placed in the aforementioned categories. https://xkcd.com/1235/ https://xkcd.com/1235/ Mods: wtf
titanomachy 10y ago
His explanation... demons, as fallen angels, are more crafty than us and can thus reliably avoid detection. I like that, it makes for a good story. It is also a falsifiable hypothesis. Does setting up hidden recording equipment in his office cause his patients to stop displaying evidence of demonic possession? If so, there are explanations more likely than demonic omniscience -- ideally this trial would be double-blind to prevent him from influencing the subject -- but it would be an interesting result nonetheless. Alternatively, he records a sophisticated conversation in Church Latin with a 20-year-old uneducated construction labourer, which would lend at least some credibility to his claims.

by outlace 10y ago

ryao 10y ago

Catching something extraordinary on camera has never been proof. In the past, people could claim dark room effects. In the present, people can claim photoshop. It is silly to ask that such things be caught on camera when real images would be indistinguishable from fake images. You need to see such things firsthand like that psychiatrist claims to have and if you do, almost no one in this age will believe you. It would something like this, except without any fun before the last pane: https://xkcd.com/693/ https://xkcd.com/693/ That psychiatrist ought to know that feeling. Here is to hoping that none of us ever do.

reddytowns 10y ago
It would stand to reason, then, out of the thousands of badly faked photographs and videos, the mysterious blobs that could be caused by malfunctioning cameras, and the out of focus, blurry, easy mistakable everday objects declared as "ghosts" there would be a few clear, in focus photos or videos, which couldn't be easily placed in the aforementioned categories. https://xkcd.com/1235/ https://xkcd.com/1235/ Mods: wtf

titanomachy 10y ago

His explanation... demons, as fallen angels, are more crafty than us and can thus reliably avoid detection. I like that, it makes for a good story. It is also a falsifiable hypothesis. Does setting up hidden recording equipment in his office cause his patients to stop displaying evidence of demonic possession? If so, there are explanations more likely than demonic omniscience -- ideally this trial would be double-blind to prevent him from influencing the subject -- but it would be an interesting result nonetheless. Alternatively, he records a sophisticated conversation in Church Latin with a 20-year-old uneducated construction labourer, which would lend at least some credibility to his claims.