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[Loam]

I may not "believe" in ghost, aliens, magical energies... but that's not the point, is it?

What both parties, pseudo-scientists and actual scientists, seem to misunderstand is that myths are stories, not manifestos or primitive attempts at science. I believe that Lewis (or Tolkien?) said that "no one ever propounded the 'theory' of Demeter and Persephone" as an explanation for the seasons: it was just a story, incorporating cultural icons (the gods) as characters in an imaginative tale. Sure, some people believed it; some others probably tried to "debunk" the myth. But they'd all have been missing the point.

As I see it, it's the same today. There are the rabid believers in the factual truth of ghost stories or alien abductions, and the (pardon me) equally rabid rationalists trying to "de-mythologize" everything. I myself enjoy a good tall tale - and while a part of me knows paranormal accounts to be false, a greater part of me just doesn't care.

[scriver]

Acupuncture is no better than a placebo, it just doesn't work.

It's not a placebo if it doesn't work

[Leafsnail]

The fact that it's no better than a placebo implies that the actual mechanism proposed by acupuncture does not work.

[Sergarr]

The better question is why placebos work in the first place.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Because your mind is connected to and orders around your body. While you might not be able to explicitly tell your cells to do something, the evidence suggests that mindset does have an effect (mind you, a lot of the effect is also countering the psychosomatic illness that tends to develop as a result of the physical illness).

[scriver]

It also supposedly goes both ways, which is where it starts getting creepy.

[Askot Bokbondeler]

Then there's sympathetic pregnancy
I've heard it can even cause men to lactate

[mastahcheese]

In the concept of aliens and UFO's and stuff like that, I believe that aliens most likely exist somewhere in the galaxy, but not so much in that they have made contact.
Or that, in the event that they have made contact, they have determined humans to not be worth talking too.
I mean heck, if I were an alien, and saw some of the insane stuff that some people do, I wouldn't want to stick around for too long.

My views of other things, such as magic and supernatural creatures, however, I'm more firm to disbelieve it. Particularly ghosts and insubstantial beings.
I'm rather odd, however, in that I have an utterly illogical fear of vampires, though, despite not believing in them.

[alexandertnt]

I mean heck, if I were an alien, and saw some of the insane stuff that some people do, I wouldn't want to stick around for too long.

You have to be careful not to project human ideals onto aliens. Humans sometimes like to look at themselves and observe that some of the things that they do are crazy and insane, and then assume that aliens would think the same way.

For all we know stuff like wars, nuclear armament, video-games/movies etc could be a common occurance in an evolving intelligent species, and these aliens may not at all find what we are doing insane at all.

[mastahcheese]

I was referring more so to things like Law enforcement personnel killing the people they're supposed to protect and things like that.

[Vattic]

I may not "believe" in ghost, aliens, magical energies... but that's not the point, is it?

What both parties, pseudo-scientists and actual scientists, seem to misunderstand is that myths are stories, not manifestos or primitive attempts at science. I believe that Lewis (or Tolkien?) said that "no one ever propounded the 'theory' of Demeter and Persephone" as an explanation for the seasons: it was just a story, incorporating cultural icons (the gods) as characters in an imaginative tale. Sure, some people believed it; some others probably tried to "debunk" the myth. But they'd all have been missing the point.

As I see it, it's the same today. There are the rabid believers in the factual truth of ghost stories or alien abductions, and the (pardon me) equally rabid rationalists trying to "de-mythologize" everything. I myself enjoy a good tall tale - and while a part of me knows paranormal accounts to be false, a greater part of me just doesn't care.

I'm reading a bit between the lines here, but I disagree when you say paranormal stories aren't an attempt at science/rationalisation. I think some of them are an attempt to rationalise the unknown. Sleep paralysis is a good example in that people have traditionally sought to rationalise it as paranormal with the New Guinean being my favourite. You also have my neighbour who's rationalised the voices in his head into demons.

I don't think sceptics on the whole object to a good story; Their beef is specifically with those taking and/or pushing said stories as fact (possible government cover-up included). It can be difficult not to become defensive when berated for your supposed close-minded ignorance. One thing that cemented my more aggressive scepticism is how a number of people I know were talked off their medication in favour of alternative treatments and subsequently ended up in hospital. Stories can have a negative impact if not challenged and put in perspective.

[alexandertnt]

I was referring more so to things like Law enforcement personnel killing the people they're supposed to protect and things like that.

Your still taking something that most humans consider abhorrent and assuming aliens think similarly with no evidence or explanation beyond the fact that most humans consider it abhorrent. i.e. your still assuming that aliens think similarly to us.

For all we know, the alien species might be some sort of strange dictatorship that consider this behaviour "normal" for all we know.

Hell, it may even be a common way in the grand scheme of things for a species to achieve the technology required to make contact with alien species. As horrible as it sounds, simply being abhorrent doesn't make it not true.

[Loam]

snip

To be honest, my post was only tangentially related to the topic - in fact it belongs more to a historical-literary discussion. Sorry. But while we're at it...

Stories can have a negative impact if not challenged and put in perspective.

I wouldn't say "challenged," perhaps "understood correctly." Taking the unsubstantiated or deliberately fictitious as true is indeed dangerous.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

The people who believe in the paranormal don't see them as fiction. That is why disproving them is necessary.

[Epichighfive321]

I was referring more so to things like Law enforcement personnel killing the people they're supposed to protect and things like that.

There is no reason to believe aliens know what law enforcement is or that they even know that the people are dying. They may not bleed blood or have skin. Maybe they don't even think, but it's something else.