*** answer this discussion for two students.
Supernatural Discussion
Hello Class!
Let us examine the supernatural and how it plays into our lives.
For your initial post (Due by March 22 Sunday 11:59p):
- After reading Magic, Skepticism, & Belief,why do you believe people genuinely feel they have powers or a connection to present/represent the supernatural?
- What are the functional aspects of paranormal beliefs based on the Adaptive Value of Paranormal Beliefs reading? Do you agree? Why or why not?
- Why do you believe people are drawn to the supernatural and how do the stories you read this week represent this? What supernatural things do you believe in (ghosts, ESP, fortune tellers, etc.)?
- Do you think that there is truth behind superstitions and do you believe that everything can be explained rationally or do some phenomena defy scientific explanation?
example 1
- After reading Magic, Skepticism, & Belief,why do you believe people genuinely feel they have powers or a connection to present/represent the supernatural? People can genuinely fee like they have powers because of how the human mind works, certain cultures, and personal experiences and now you see the world.
- What are the functional aspects of paranormal beliefs based on the Adaptive Value of Paranormal Beliefs reading? Do you agree? Why or why not? The functional aspects are emotional comfort, having a sense of control, meaning, and hope. I do agree that some of these aspects can influence people to believe in paranormal events because all of these aspects seem to be in the realm of giving people comfort/ an explanation to why things happen.
- Why do you believe people are drawn to the supernatural and how do the stories you read this week represent this? What supernatural things do you believe in (ghosts, ESP, fortune tellers, etc.)? people are drawn to supernatural things because it is a combination of physiological and emotional reasons and because is can be useful for how we thing. I don’t think I believe in any supernatural things at least none I can think of.
- Do you think that there is truth behind superstitions and do you believe that everything can be explained rationally or do some phenomena defy scientific explanation? I do believe that there is some truth behind some superstitions because in my head I believe everything came from something one person experienced. Not all phenomena has a rational explanation I believe that some things don’t have an explication or at least not one that would satisfy us.
Example 2
1. Based on this article, I believe that people genuinely feel they have a connection to the supernatural because they lack skepticism. Those who do have a career or hobby related to this, such as magicians, show that most are highly skeptical of events or things related to the supernatural. It makes sense that magicians are more skeptical than other people because they know how the tricks they preform works. Its because of this that makes them question other events whether there is some explainable mechanic behind the phenomena.
2. The functional aspects of paranormal beliefs are striving for mastery, seeking connectedness, and valuing me and mine. I do agree with these aspects as beliefs in the paranormal as it can serve as a guide to people. Just as in the article, stories containing paranormal allow the readers to take away meaning from it which can add to their belief in the paranormal.
3. I believe that people are drawn to supernatural stories because it can give meaning to the unknown. For occurrences we face in life that we cannot explain, it may remind us of a story that share similarities in those experiences. Without a factual explanation, people are more easily ready to accept that a super natural phenomena occurred. For example, the story of the “The Two Cat Witches” may have been relatable to those who have experienced items randomly go missing. While I don’t believe in the supernatural, I do enjoy it as a form of entertainment, such as magic shows, readings, or even in media.
4. I think it would be interesting if superstitions had some truth behind it but I believe that everything has a scientific explanation behind it. Because I haven’t experienced any kind supernatural phenomena myself, it’s hard to think/ believe that it could be real.
Example 3
1. In Magic, Skepticism, & Belief, the magicians interviewed -people who, to the public, have a connection with surreal powers- all discussed that knowing how to create illusions calls for skepticism. These people knew how to see behind magical portrayals. On the contrary, I believe people could believe themselves to be connected to the supernatural due to a lack of knowledge – that sounds harsh, but I mean the supposed supernatural people cannot think of any other reasonable solution for their experiences and understandably resort to inexplicable reasonings.
2. As listed in the reading, the functional aspects of paranormal beliefs are: Getting along with the world, Orientation, Coping with fear, Overcoming critical life events, Explanation, Dealing with the self, Caring for oneself, Developing the self and Self-awareness. I do agree with these aspects, especially considering that they can all fundamentally be summarized as explanations (just of different things) which many discussion posts and students have previously highlighted. The paranormal beliefs can explain how to navigate your fears and circumstances, how to help yourself, and how to test your reactions (aka get to know yourself). I think a good example that embodies most of these would be readings; someone who receives high callings can “reveal” things to you ang guide your actions (all through which you learn about yourself and circumstances).
3. As already alluded to, when there is no other explanation to the lives we lead, curiosity cannot help but explore otherworldly possibilities. In addition, as exemplified by Carrie Poppy’s excitement for exploring paranormal claims despite recognizing the pattern of fallacy, it can be more fun to belief in the paranormal. Even with the Welsh tale of the conjurer, it can be fun to imagine the power people could possess with supernatural abilities. While I do not believe in most paranormal abilities, through exploring this week’s module I “quizzed” myself and realized, if possible, I would avoid walking under a ladder, and breaking a mirror would absolutely dishearten me. Mostly with the negative paranormal omens, I do take them somewhat seriously because deep down I fear that they are real.
4. I can see the possibility of superstitions coming about from a singular occurrence of bad luck and out of an abundance of caution, those circumstances were avoided and others were given notice. I think with superstitions specifically, if there is a coinciding event (ie a stroke of good or bad luck) it is likely a coincidence. I (at least I want to) believe that everything can be explained, and if it is inexplicable now, I am sure with time there will be scientific discoveries unveiling the truth.
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