posted on Oct, 3 2005 @ 09:42 AM
Originally posted by Gemwolf
Or is it once again the case of "not enough proof"?
I think that this is the reason why images of ghosts caught on CCTV are not held to be indisuptable evidence of the existence of ghosts. In the modern
era, video footage has become increasingly unacceptable in terms of offering valid evidence for the existence of the paranormal. Where once we thought
that the widespread application of technologies such as digital cameras and camcorders would serve to support the case for ghosts and other paranormal
phenomena, in practice the opposite is proving to be true.
The reason for this, of course, is that images and video are very easy to fake given the right software and motivation. Because of this, even clear
footage of paranormal phenomena will be viewed with harsh skepticism. There are simply too many cases of misidentification or outright hoaxing to
accept still images or video footage at face value. Were this not the case, I would have become a diehard believer long ago. In terms of CCTV, it
doesn't help that the images and footage are often grainy, blurry or indistinct.
For footage to be accepted as legitimate and convincing evidence of the existence of any form of paranormal phenomena, a number of criteria would have
to be present.
- The filmer or photographer would have to be a person of strong integrity, to reduce the chances of the footage being a deliberate hoax.
- The image would have to be almost crystal clear. The slightest distortion or ambiguity concerning the image would immediately lead to a rash of
interpretations and doubts over what was being seen.
- The phenomena would have to be obvious, even blatant. Using the example of ghosts, they would have to be clearly visible and perhaps interacting
with physical objects in some way that precludes them being a person (becoming transparent, moving through objects, etc).
Until these criteria are met, I doubt that any form of video or still images will serve to convince the general public of the existence of ghosts or
other paranormal phenomena.