On Ghosts

There has been a study recently, looking for photographic evidence (or otherwise) of ghosts. The website is here. And looking at most of the photos, you can see that, well, if they're not faked then there is probably a logical explanation for them. None of them really seem to depict a ghost; most of them are far more representative of bad photography.

And that is the conclusion reached by the study:

The majority of the images showed mysterious-looking orbs, mists, figures and faces. Many of the photographs may have a normal explanation. For example, orbs can be caused by the camera flash reflecting off tiny dust particles, mists can result from condensed breath in front of the lens, long exposures can create ghostly figures, and apparent faces are often people seeing patterns in random shapes.

Even though we had the public submit their most mysterious photographs, the images we received don’t provide compelling evidence for spirits. If ghosts are out there, it seems they are somewhat camera shy. There were possible normal explanations for the majority of the pictures, and so were surprised that, on average, about 15% of those voting thought that the photographs portrayed genuine ghosts.

This is far from being conclusive proof that ghosts don't exist; yet it does seem to indicate that, on balance, their probably aren't spirits walking amongst the living.

Despite having a long-term fascination in the supernatural, and despite writing ghost stories in my spare time, I'm a sceptic about ghosts. All of the evidence is either easily debunked or is purely ancedotal. Many people have seen something that might be a ghost, or have experienced something ghostly. But there is nothing to show that it definitely was a ghost, and in most cases there is no shortage of potential other explanations.

Which is the point; the photos might be of ghosts. They might equally be dust on the camera, an odd reflection or someone unseen straying into the view of the camera. And on balance, the rational explanations seem far more likely and, well, real than the supernatural ones.