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Before I became a skeptic, I used to be afraid of ghosts. This fear would peak around Halloween every year, when stories of ghosts and monsters would abound -- from home, school, and the media. None of these stories were scarier than those featured in the Halloween special of a local news magazine program titled, Magandang Gabi, Bayan (Good Evening, People).
Like many Filipinos, I'd look forward to watching the special every year even if it meant I'd have nightmares and find it hard to fall asleep. The following day, I'd have conversations with classmates and friends about the show. We'd share our own stories of the supernatural -- stories told routinely at reunions by parents and aunts and uncles -- and there'd be no room for doubt: the stories told during the Halloween special were true.
The fact that the stories were run by a respected news magazine program further added to their authenticity. And in typical documentary style, the show would interview paranormal "experts," many using "scientific" techniques to support their claims.
Almost twenty years later, I became a skeptic, and I no longer believe in ghosts. But many Filipinos still do. And every Halloween, news magazine programs still capitalize on this common superstition by having a Halloween special. One such special was aired by award-winning documentary program, Patrol ng Pilipino (Filipino Patrol). What made this episode different from most (if not all) Filipino Halloween specials aired so far is that the producers decided to include the perspective of someone who didn't believe in the supernatural. That skeptic was me.
During my interview for the episode, I gave scientific explanations for the supernatural stories I knew they'd once again feature on the show. I explained that paranormal claims can usually be attributed to apophenia, the experience of finding meaningful patterns in meaningless data. I explained that some people can easily interpret random shapes as faces of ghosts, random noises as whispers of departed loved ones, much in the same way that we see animals in clouds or faces in wallpaper or wood. Others, however, actually do see or hear things that other people can't, and in these cases there is usually a psychiatric cause -- schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, etc. -- and a visit to a psychiatrist would be more beneficial than telling a person that he is psychic or has a third eye.
Whether these stories stem from apophenia or schizophrenia, mental habits such as confirmation bias, social reinforcement, and wishful thinking would elevate the status of mere supernatural tales to scientific truth. And regardless of how much I tried to give scientific explanations for the supernatural, I knew that people would still believe what they wish. Even for those who respected science, there was a ready "scientific" explanation that supported belief in the supernatural. This "scientific" perspective was provided by members of the Esoteric Society of the Philippines (ESP), who were also interviewed for the episode.
In my next post, I'll write about my encounters with the group, their activities, and why they're the first people in the Phillipines I'll invite publicly to apply for the James Randi Educational Foundation's Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge. If they apply for and pass the JREF's Challenge, it will be huge news. If they refuse, I think we will know why.
Red Tani is the founder of the Filipino Freethinkers and a volunteer for the James Randi Educational Foundation.
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