Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Aerik Von · 12-03-2002, 01:38 PM

<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/afterlife020618.html" target="_blank">http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/afterlife020618.html</a>

It's so silly it hurts...

AbbyNormal · 12-03-2002, 02:06 PM

What an amazing bit of tripe. The part that bothers me:

Quote:

A recent Gallup Poll showed 38 percent of Americans believe that ghosts or spirits can come back in certain situations � up from 25 percent in 1990. The poll also found that 28 percent believe that some people can hear from or talk to the dead, compared with 18 percent 11 years ago.

Increasing? Aren't we going the wrong way here? I wonder, does the recent success of John Edwards and his like fuel this, or does an increased belief in the afterlife fuel his success? Is this increase due in part to 9/11 and is just how the nation comes to term with such a shock?
I think it all comes down to: people need comfort when faced with death and tragedy and will look for any sign whatsoever that "everything will be alright".

Another favorite quote which I think speaks for itself:

Quote:

But Schwartz says such criticism only deflects attention from his ideas...

Regards,
AbbyNormal

Hypernovean · 12-03-2002, 08:25 PM

This is news?

joedad · 12-03-2002, 09:49 PM

Quote:

"It's not about what's true or false," said Laderman, who is finishing a book called Rest in Peace about funeral homes and how people cope with death. "I don't think anyone can explain what people are experiencing using science."

Scientifically speaking, is the U.S. population getting smarter or dumber? I'd guess dumber.

joe

long winded fool · 12-03-2002, 10:16 PM

"The probability that our energy and information continues and our consciousness continues is the same probability that stars' light continues."

Wow. That's fairly probable.

Tom Sawyer · 12-04-2002, 08:55 AM

I couldn't make it past the first few paragraphs of that tripe. This is incredibly ridiculous.

I'd be angry with ABC news for wasting time on a story like this, but these are the same people who interviewed a sock puppet, so what more can you expect?

Undercurrent · 12-04-2002, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Schwartz says communication from the dead can be explained by the idea that human energy and information continues. He argues that energy is constantly interacting with other energy and these constant interactions create changes that persist throughout time.

...

But Halpern adds, "these photons would not carry much information about us at all, except perhaps our temperature."

Bwahahahahaha!!!

The best comeback line to that kind of thinking I've ever heard.

m.

12-04-2002, 12:51 PM

Schwartz doesn't seem to understand the distinction between stars and meteors (shooting stars). I wonder which sort he thinks people resemble.

Seriously, nowadays virtually all quacks seem to make claims about mysterious sorts of "energy". If you question them, they are very vague about what they mean. I once asked a reiki practitioner what his stuff was all about and got a garbled thing about energy. I asked him what form this energy took and how it might be measured. He got very cross and told me that it was well known that the universe was made of energy.

12-03-2002, 01:38 PM	#1
Aerik Von Regular Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Hell, New York Posts: 151	I have a gift for the analysts...tear this ABC news brief apart! <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/afterlife020618.html" target="_blank">http://abcnews.go.com/sections/scitech/DailyNews/afterlife020618.html</a> It's so silly it hurts...

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12-03-2002, 08:25 PM	#3
Hypernovean Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: - Posts: 67	This is news?

12-03-2002, 10:16 PM	#5
long winded fool Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: USA Posts: 2,113	"The probability that our energy and information continues and our consciousness continues is the same probability that stars' light continues." Wow. That's fairly probable.

12-04-2002, 08:55 AM	#6
Tom Sawyer Talk Freethought Staff Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Toronto, eh Posts: 42,293	I couldn't make it past the first few paragraphs of that tripe. This is incredibly ridiculous. I'd be angry with ABC news for wasting time on a story like this, but these are the same people who interviewed a sock puppet, so what more can you expect?

12-04-2002, 12:51 PM	#8
DMB Guest Posts: n/a	Schwartz doesn't seem to understand the distinction between stars and meteors (shooting stars). I wonder which sort he thinks people resemble. Seriously, nowadays virtually all quacks seem to make claims about mysterious sorts of "energy". If you question them, they are very vague about what they mean. I once asked a reiki practitioner what his stuff was all about and got a garbled thing about energy. I asked him what form this energy took and how it might be measured. He got very cross and told me that it was well known that the universe was made of energy.

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