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The thread is about immaterial evidence. I am merely explaining the case as to why the kinds of evidence for immaterial entities you have proposed as avenues to explore is unreliable and problematic.
I've talked in this thread about ways that we could examine some phenomena (such as the hypothetical sighting of the IPU) and posit some explanations; and in some cases legitimately end up with "I don't know." You could take this a step further and say "I don't know, but I think it's extremely unlikely." I'm maybe a little more willing to leave the door open.
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Chi counts as an unseen entity.
You mean like electricity? It's more similar to that than it is to ghosts or gods. Chi in itself is not consciousness.
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"I don't think this could be applied to my own theology, though you're welcome to pick my brains on this one. "
So I went ahead and accepted your invite.
To reiterate, I believe that on a metaphysical level all is one, all is interlinked. I don't see how this is dependent on the validity of any of the paranormal phenomena that have been touched on here. This is probably the only thing that I believe with something approaching certainty. I think it's likely that spirits exist in different forms but this is more problematic for me because of all the reasons we've been discussing, which boil down to the difficulty of determining when an experience is genuine and when it isn't. I would use the methodology in
Message 51 to arrive at "I don't know" after excluding all other possibilities as best as I was able. From there? I'd probably go with how I felt and what I personally found plausible; I think that's permissible in such a situation, though I try always to be open to the possibility of new evidence making it necessary to change that. I've also discussed anecdotes here and I would probably use those to help me decide how to interpret my experience, tentatively, because I'm aware of the possible difficulties with those too. Life isn't always as easy as we'd like it to be, nor are the paths to truth.
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Can you verify with any confidence at all that the things you are proposing to explain these phenomena exists beyond the beliefs of those that experience them?
It depends on what you mean by "verify with any confidence." When we have reached the limits of empiricism, and no new evidence appears forthcoming? Difficult question. I'm still not satisfied with, "We know that the human mind is fallible, therefore every single one of these phenomena are due to the fallible human mind." I think it's too all-encompassing. Plus, however gently people insist that this is always the rational stance to take, it is insulting to myself and others who believe we have had genuine experiences. Bless, we really want to believe but sadly we're deluded, aren't we? I'm sensitive to energy and I've felt chi, though I have a feeling no one here would believe it because it's likely I'm making it all up even if I think I'm not. The fact that chi is as real to Eastern philosophy and religion as the sunlight on the grass makes no difference because it's mass delusion, right? It's been interesting thinking about all of these things but I suspect I will walk away from this discussion feeling the same as I always do -- that this was an intriguing but otherwise somewhat frustrating and pointless exercise.
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