Being Unbiased in a Paranormal Investigation

Will people ever be able to prove the existence of spirits? Next, I find myself wondering whether or not it would be possible for a group of investigators to put together a questionnaire which wouldn’t cause bias and as I think about it, I still find it impossible. As I’ve mentioned, the presence of the researcher causes bias as people could give an answer they expect the investigator to want, or could be scared/embarrassed to admit they have experienced paranormal activity therefore the researcher could not be present for the interview. So, a questionnaire would have to be designed and posted out to participants and back to the researcher anonymously. This then poses a new set of problems. The ‘participant’ – for the want of a better word – would not be able to give any information (name, address etc.) therefore, a researcher would not know what ‘residence’ the information given was related to. This shows that interviews are useless even if leading questions were eliminated.

This then leads back to the argument of ‘no research, no interviews, just an investigation’. The only way then, that this could work, is to catch on camera, a full apparition of a spirit. Is this ever going to happen? Even if it does, would people believe that it wasn’t a hoax? Therefore, what is needed is a full apparition and a large group of unbiased witnesses who could validate the experience. Would an apparition appear in such conditions?

Writing this I find myself thinking about Stuart Chase’s words: ‘For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don’t believe, no proof is possible.’ (Stuart Chase quotes (writer and economist, b1888 (Tragedy of Waste)). I believe this to be true, as even with scientific evidence, people will still question the existence of the paranormal. If a person doesn’t believe, no evidence will be enough for them.