[Robert]

Welcome to the General Discussion of Spirituality forum. The purpose of this forum is to have serious discussions regarding matters that are usually seen as unscientific, outside the realm of science, the unexplained, etc. Previously I had separate categories covering Transcendental Experiences, paranormal phenomena, physics/mediums, other anomalies and ufology. Due to the low traffic of these forums, and their questionable scientific merit, I have merged these forums into the current forum.

I personally give little credence to the believability of these areas and have been careful not to advertise this website where possible crackpots might hang out. Too many stories have been proven false and unbelievable. Persons offering theories in these areas often have a strong need to believe and overlook possibly contradictory evidence. I find that when you want to believe something strong enough you will find evidence to support your beliefs.

Given that, I would like to recognize that if any of these areas have a grain of truth to them, that grain could represent a key to the understanding of the Theory of Everything in the larger sense of the word. For example, if a psychic could indeed give some indication of events in the future that could be validated beyond a doubt, this would need to be understood in the context of a Theory of Everything.

Lets all try to keep an open mind to the possibilities and ramifications yet avoid the irrational leaps of judgement that are all too common here.

[Zo the Toe]

To some people re 'the paranormal' there is nothing to be said. No reasoning at all will be considered. This I accept as a sad fact of life. Those at the witch trials at Salem surely tried reasoning. In Bosina and even the Jews during their trials and tribs. reasoning was neglected. Those were times of extremes, but the instigators in those cases and many more similar, exhibited a neglect of reason.

The laws of Physics are a category. Sure they apply across many spheres, but in the case of love and dreams - which are the main driving forces of humanity, physics has only a tenuous connection.

The ability to reason is highly prized. In the case of the atrocities above and many others not mentioned, reasoning is generally retrospective. We see them as atrocities now with perfect clarity. Those atrocities happened because someone decided they were absolutely right. Future times, many of those perpetrators thought, would thank them for those atrocities.

Fault was the perpetrators inability to participate in discussions of reason. Fault was to doubt their times. To doubt their environments. To doubt themselves. So the perpetrators of atrocities have a category, which I have briefly described above. Shall I described the nature of reason?

Surely the sciences claim reason as their basis?

Those of history now deemed greats were doubters, sceptics. They were people who reasoned. They asked outrageous questions, but those questions today, now answered, seem commonplace to us. Yet those with ideas, the result of reasoning, have usually had to fight the humdrum of acceptance to be heard.

Will that ever change, I wonder...

The Theory of Everything also includes the above. Physics too and its laws, some contradictory to other fields of the sciences. If the TOE didn't include all of the above, it wouldn't be a TOE. It would be a lesser thing.

The paranormal, like physicis is also a category. The 'paranormal' has always been around, but then so has the scientific approach of reason. 'Always been around' is not very specific, but then surely as a non-'scientist,' I am allowed some latitude?

There are explanations for the paranormal, as I have pointed out. IE and EG, a crutch for the lonely; an escape from the stresses of today and various others reasons, some as yet obviously unknown to you.

Irrational leaps of judgement? That too is a category which can be seen in many wars and atrocities. They were extremes yes. Irrational leaps of judgement happened in Salem - the Inquisition. Their problem was that they didn't have all the facts.

So do you have all the facts?