When I started this blog I did not anticipate it turning its focus on the political world to the extent that it has, but then I did not anticipate a Trump Presidency, and all the dangers that brings to our liberal democracy. I do tire of it.
So when I finally opened the most recent issue of Skeptical Inquirer and found an interesting survey, I decided to talk about it a bit: the results of the Chapman University survey of America concerning the American citizens’ beliefs in the paranormal. I really like their snazzy chart:
In fact, I’m so taken by the chart that I haven’t read the blog post it’s embedded in. I think I’ll freehand this and then read their blog post.
Belief in Bigfoot or Yeti, at 16%, is one that has never bothered me; indeed, the acceptance that there are biological creatures which we have not yet found, categorized, and characterized is a good one for any society which needs to progress in the future in order to survive. A society which believes it knows everything it needs to know is doomed – at least in that form. It might even go extinct. That all evidence of Bigfoot has been discredited is probably a fact not known to the public that chooses to believe in the big guy.
Fortune tellers & psychics, on the other hand, are well-known dangers to the naive person. Why? Because their advice may divert the trusting from a proper course of action, such as accepting a conventional course of treatment for an illness, for some course of treatment of no value – but perhaps benefiting the fortune teller. It appears some 19% of the American population remains credulous.
At 25%, telekinesis is of limited danger. I can dream up some scenarios where someone might get hurt, but to tell the truth, I probably won’t value their contributions to society anyways, if they’re adults.
The idea that aliens have visited Earth recently is, for me, at an unexpectedly low value of 25%. A physicist will give several reasons why it’s nearly impossible that it has happened, but I think hope springs eternal. The higher value for a visit in ancient times (35%) actually makes sense, given the unexpected achievements of Egypt and the various South American empires, not to mention the different span in time between ‘ancient’ and ‘recent’ – whatever that might be.
However, the places haunted by spirits at 52% is discouraging, given that no one has ever captured any evidence of a spirit. Usually they are shown to be hoaxes or natural phenomena – yet we continue to give such stories credence.
And at 55% is the contention that ancient ‘advanced’ civilizations once existed. I wonder about the reasoning behind this – that is, how many of those who assented to this question are simply trying to be open-minded? How many ran across such contentions in reading sensationalistic publications such as National Enquirer? And how many, disconcerted by the variety of human experience, would prefer to see current society as doomed to return to a simpler time, and in this question they see a way to confirm that such will happen.
Perhaps I’m just a little cynical today.
Finally, the survey notes that 25.3% have “no paranormal beliefs,” which I believe is a misstatement – properly, given the context of the table, those folks just don’t have any of the listed beliefs. I am uncertain as to whether I should be reassured or aghast.
