Why it is so hard to
disprove fantasy...
When does a paranormal belief fit the definition of fantasy.
Well, dictionary.com defines fantasy this way.
1.
imagination, esp. when extravagant and unrestrained.
2.
the forming of mental images, esp. wondrous or strange fancies; imaginative conceptualizing.
3.
a mental image, esp. when unreal or fantastic; vision: a nightmare fantasy.
4.
Psychology. an imagined or conjured up sequence fulfilling a psychological need; daydream.
5.
a hallucination.
6.
a supposition based on no solid foundation; visionary idea; illusion: dreams of Utopias and similar fantasies.
7.
caprice; whim.
8.
an ingenious or fanciful thought, design, or invention.
Keeping this definition in mind, the uncritical thinker often has to see that their belief is indeed a fantasy. Let's examine a standard interchange between a skeptic and a believer. Big Foot is a good example. The foot castings are for the most part discredited, and indeed how to prove they are not made by a hoaxer rather than a Big Foot, and a discredited piece of film (just one), and a few sightings (but hardly any photographs). No Big Foot bodies, no reliable Big Foot footage, not even any Big Foot poop. So, continued belief in Big Foot isn't a belief anymore, it's a fantasy. It's something you'd LIKE to be true, and so you build evidence out of wishes.
Alien abduction is also another belief that is much more fantasy than fact. Alien abductees swear that their experiences are true. But the search for evidence turns up nothing. All the security cameras around the world have never caught an alien abduction on tape. When people that claim to be abducted on a regular basis are placed under observation they awake amazed that no one saw or filmed their abduction. Proof that they slept all night under strict observation does not bring about a change of belief. Instead, to keep the fantasy alive excuses are made. "Oh they left my body shell here, but I was abducted!" A fantasy does not need evidence of proof to survive. It simply needs imagination and a tremendous wish for something to be true.
When a skeptic and believer conflict, it is often because they are talking about different things. A skeptic wants to deal with something that can be proven by facts and evidence. A believer is dealing with fantasy, all that is needed for a fantasy to be real is wishing for it to be real. Proving Big Foot or alien abduction is not real is like proving pink unicorns and the Easter Bunny isn't real. Impossible for the skeptic or scientist and so very frustrating!
