Professor debunks purported evidence of ghostly presence

Is the world partially populated by wispy, dead folks who like to terrify living people by flinging open doors or caressing sleeping faces?

Are there disembodied souls out there prone to torment, entertain or protect real folks?

One ghost debunker says science just doesn't support the idea.

"A century and a half of research into the paranormal has not provided substantive evidence of the claims," said Dr. Bryan Farha, behavioral studies professor and scientific and technical consultant for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, the largest critical thinking organization in the world dedicated to extraordinary claims.

"What ghost investigators use for evidence is scientifically weak," Farha said. "For instance, the use of equipment with meters and gauges is an effort to make an investigation appear technical and scientific."

The equipment is not faulty, he said. It measures what it intends to measure, but the equipment is not designed to measure the presence of a ghost.

"There has never been a single confirmed case of a ghost," Farha said. "One reason is that, because, sometimes, hauntings are based on feelings or impressions. Feelings and impressions are not scientific evidence.

"Have fun on Halloween, but view ghosts and haunted houses with a critical thinking mind," Farha said. "I don't want to take the fun out of Halloween, but realize that all of the conjecture about the paranormal is unsubstantiated."

Why do people believe?

"In considering all of the alleged paranormal phenomenon, just take the ones that are associated with death, which would be ghosts, haunted houses and the ability to communicate with the dead," Farha said.

"All three of those imply an afterlife, and an afterlife is a comforting thought. So, I understand why people like to believe in these ideas. However, because we want there to be an afterlife doesn't mean that there is one. And even if we were to believe in an afterlife, where is the evidence that ghost investigators have proven the existence of one?"

Farha said he is not against the idea of an afterlife. "In fact, I might favor it. But I'm not holding my breath that they will prove it scientifically.

"I don't think that the universe is an accident, so the possibility is clearly there, but that's something we won't know until we die. We have to wait until we are dead to know about an afterlife and God and religion."