What are ghosts and why should we be able to detect them?

Prevailing opinion among most members of Western culture, ghost hunters included, is that ghosts are the disembodied spirits of people who have died. Often as not, these spirits are assumed to retain the consciousness and personalities that they had in life. This begs the question though of what exactly is a ghost or spirit, and where exactly does it reside while one is alive?


From a biological/biochemical perspective, the best potential candidate would be the brain and its’ unique combination of electrochemical signals, patterns, and signatures that identify each person as an individual. The basis of memory, thought, and consciousness in the human brain lies primarily in the cerebral cortex, which is rich in electrical synapses. In their most basic form, these junctions between neurons are electrical pathways for the transmission of information via ionic currents.

Fundamentally then, the bases of a significant portion of our individual identities are determined by the patterns in which electrochemical currents flow through the biological circuitry of our brains. In other words, in addition to the various proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, organic and inorganic compounds that make up our bodies, there is energy that animates and defines us.

The big question then is, what happens to that energy when we die? Is it inextricably linked to our physical being such that when our respiration and blood flow cease, our personalities and memories cease to exist as well? From a purely biomedical standpoint, science would dictate that to be the case. If we switch to an experiential viewpoint however, we must remain open to the possibility that the rules may have to change and that the traditional laws of biology, chemistry, and physics as we currently understand them may not apply.

As any fan of Ghost Hunters or one of the many other ghost seeking series on television will tell you, spirits may manifest in any of a number of ways including apparitions, shadows, disembodied voices, sounds, changes in ambient temperature (ie, cold spots), and changes in electromagnetic fields (EMF) to name a few.

Apparitions and shadows relate to light and the transmission or blocking of light. Light, of course is a form of radiant energy or the energy of electromagnetic waves. Voices and sounds are forms of mechanical vibrational energy, which may occur as a result of actions occurring anywhere from the molecular to the macromolecular level. Temperature, as a measure of heat relates to another form of radiant energy. Finally, EMF changes originate with the movement of charged particles or the movement of an electrical current. All of these forms of energy, of course, can be detected with the appropriate apparatus (human eye, human skin, camera, audio recorder, thermometer, EMF meter).

The point at which this analysis necessarily breaks down is that most energetic phenomena (light, heat, sound, EMF) have a readily identifiable source. Paranormal phenomena such as ghost or spirit manifestations however lack a defined source. That is not to say that these phenomena are impossible to explain, but our current understanding of the physical sciences does not provide us with any ready answers. Particle physics offers some intriguing possibilities, but those are well beyond the scope of this blog.

I welcome your thoughts and feedback!